Globalgig Launched Today - Simple Device Signals a Revolutionary
End to Excessive Data Roaming Charges
LONDON, SYDNEY and NEW
YORK, November 29, 2012
/PRNewswire/ --
Globalgig,
powered by Voiamo, brings carrier grade mobile internet access to
business travellers' smartphones, laptops and tablets in the UK, US
and Australia. At unmatched
prices, it replaces the need for roaming. Traveller data bundles
are available in Gigabytes, not Megabytes, to satisfy real and
increasing usage needs.
Voiamo today launches Globalgig, a carrier grade mobile
broadband solution that slashes data prices, finally making
available internet usage at a realistic price for travellers and
businesses.
Launched today in the UK, US and Australia, the company plans to expand the
service to key Asian, European Union markets, and other large
global travel hubs over the next 12 months*. The simple-to-use
Globalgig service removes the need to pay for expensive roaming
charges and brings a definitive end to huge data bills for
travelling business people.
Priced in useful monthly bundles of 1GB (Gigabyte) for £15.00,
3GB for £25.00 and 5GB for £35.00, Globalgig satisfies the data
needs of internet users. The Globalgig 'Hotspot'* device can be
bought for £79.00 (inc.VAT) from the Globalgig store online at
http://www.globalgig.com and will shortly be available from
http://www.amazon.co.uk.
Users sign up for a monthly rolling contract and can easily
connect the personal and portable Hotspot device to their
smartphones, laptops and tablets. There is no long-term contract,
there are no hidden charges, and when users wish to upgrade,
downgrade or terminate, they simply need to provide notice*.The
service will then be changed or cancelled at the end of their
billing cycle.
In order to provide a fast, sustainable and secure service in
each country, Voiamo has partnered with Three, (part of the
Hutchison Whampoa group) in the UK. In the USA wireless services are provided on the
Nationwide Sprint Network*.
In Australia Voiamo are
partnered with Optus (part of the Singapore Telecom Group).
On 1 July 2012, the European Union
placed a cap on retail roaming charges within its member states of
70¢ per megabyte, or approximately £717 per Gigabyte, not including
any local sales tax, whereas the rest of the world has no global
regulation, governance or plans to cap charges even at this level.
This means business people and their companies are frequently faced
with data access charges of hundreds of pounds from only a few days
abroad. Worse still, hotels and public places with WiFi access are
usually costly, patchy, slow and offer limited security for
sensitive business data.
"It's time to bring an end to the rip-off data bills that
business people face upon their return from travelling abroad on
business trips, and to offer them a simple out-of-the-box
solution." said Nigel Bramwell,
Chief Executive Officer at Voiamo, the company behind
Globalgig.
Bramwell added: "Our simple Globalgig service brings people
fast, secure, carrier-grade internet access through local mobile
networks - enabling them to use videoconferencing, to surf the
internet as they would ordinarily, and to email and receive large
attachments, all with the assurance that they will get this
reliably and securely at an affordable price."
Globalgig, created and powered by fast-moving telecoms firm
Voiamo, operates using a simple, small 'Hotspot' device that
automatically logs into a local data network in each market and
feeds internet access to users' smartphones, tablets and laptops,
thereby creating their own personal and portable 'WiFi', or
'hotspot'. Globalgig customers can achieve fast internet speeds of
up to 7.2 megabytes per second over local 3G networks, by simply
placing the device in the room, or in their bag or jacket - and
then accessing the internet as normal.
"Sometimes conscientious travellers try to avoid roaming charges
by purchasing local SIM cards when they reach their destination, in
order to access data on their phones," says Bramwell. "Globalgig
enables them to keep their SIM card in the phone and remain in full
contact with their customers, colleagues and suppliers, while at
the same time having high speed internet access. It's as effective
for their phone as for their laptop or tablet."
"Globalgig is a game-changing service and it has been developed
to directly address the needs of business people and their
companies. In the current economic climate business people do not
want to be spending hundreds of pounds accessing online services,"
said Bramwell. "By cutting out roaming altogether we are providing
people with a carrier-grade,
secure and fast service at a clear and honest price that is
competitive to the domestic tariffs and crucially allows you to
take it abroad at no extra cost."
There are also plans to launch a voice service during 2013 that
offers a service enabling users to subscribe to foreign mobile
numbers as part of their contract with the added benefit of cutting
out the roaming charges.
Imagery
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About Voiamo
Voiamo Group was formed in September
2007. Since its formation Voiamo has created the
Globalgig product and secured all relevant agreements with UK, US
and Australian network operators.
The company was founded by its Chief Executive Officer,
Nigel Bramwell, who has 27 years
experience in the mobile telephone industry, and its key executives
also all have a long track record of success in the telecoms
industry. It is well funded for launching the product widely and
for its continued success - and has a strong group of investors,
many of whom have a major interest in telecoms. Voiamo is not VC
funded.
Voiamo's partners - Mobile Network
Operators
In the UK Voiamo is partnered with Three, part of the
Hutchison Whampoa group. Three are the UK's fastest growing mobile
network according to Ofcom's annual Communications Market Report
and it has been rated the UK's number 1 network for coverage,
reliability and quality for the 7th time in the latest YouGov Poll
as well as number 1 network for the iPhone.
Voiamo's mobile network services in the US are provided on the
Nationwide Sprint® Network. Sprint (a trademark of Sprint
Nextel) has been ranked number 1 among all national carriers and
most improved in customer satisfaction, across all 47 industries,
over the last four years by the American Customer Satisfaction
Index. Although Sprint provides Voiamo subscribers access to its
wireless network and to its wireless services, Voiamo is
responsible to the Voiamo subscribers for the service. Please
call Voiamo with any questions or comments about services.
Optus is Voiamo's Australian partner and is part of the
Singapore Telecom group, one of Asia's largest mobile operators. In
2012 it won three major ACOMM Industry Awards.
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Globalgig is not a data roaming product. Instead of routing
data through local networks and then back through the user's home
country network, incurring huge charges, Globalgig keeps traffic
within local networks (Sprint in the US, Three in the UK, and Optus
in Australia) and provides fast,
secure, affordable internet access.
- The Globalgig 'Hotspot' is the device that connects the users
smart phone, laptop and tablet to the local operator's network and
also switched automatically across these networks when the user
arrives in a different territory.
- 'Hotspot' is the secure personal and portable version of
"WiFi". The main advantages of using this are in:
- the portability of 'hotspot', as it goes with you and
works wherever there is a mobile signal, and
- in that the data transmitted is secure to the user who sets the
encrypted access password, unlike a public WiFi where the bandwidth
is shared across any number of people and is not always
secure.
- The launch on 29 November 2012,
is backed by a major PR, promotional and social media campaign
across international, local and specialist print, TV and radio
outlets. Its ongoing success will be supported by advertising,
promotions and media activity across those outlets.
- Data bundles are available in 1GB (gigabyte), 3GB and 5GB, for
£15.00, £25.00 or £35.00 respectively per month. When users are at
50, 85 and 100 percent of their agreed data allowance Globalgig
alerts them, to give them the opportunity to control their usage /
spending or upgrade to a higher allowance if they wish.
- Globalgig bills customers on a monthly basis for usage. There
is no long-term contract, there are no hidden charges, and when
users wish to upgrade, downgrade or terminate, they simply need to
provide notice, by email, up to 48 hours prior to the end of the
customer's billing cycle. The service will then be changed or
cancelled at that end of their billing cycle.
- The only hardware required is the Globalgig Hotspot device and
SIM, available from the Globalgig store online at
http://www.globalgig.com. It allows easy connection from users'
smartphones, laptops and tablets - users simply switch on the
Globalgig device and select it from the menu of available wireless
networks on their smartphone, laptop or tablet.
- Up to five devices - smartphones, laptops or tablets - can be
connected simultaneously at high speed to any single Globalgig
device.
- The Globalgig service is available in the UK, US and
Australia. Key EU territories and
large travel hubs globally will be added over the coming months.
Voiamo also plans to launch a voice service, offering cheap and
convenient calls abroad on local networks.