Originally Posted by
cfarivar
-a local SIM (one provider chosen based in best prepaid mobile Internet deal)
The best prepaid day-to-day deal is not generally the same as the best whole month deal. And with the whole month plans, some have lower caps than others. So you would need to have a package optimized for a month, and one optimized for a few days.
Ideally you would include both sim chips (short term and long term), and the customer would decide on the fly to top-up the one that makes sense, so you don't have to sell two different kits for the same area. But then the complication is that most sims in Europe must be bought preloaded with credit. Perhaps you could offer a rebate to customers who return the sim when they're done, and treat it like fuel in a rental car. Charge for the starting amount, and give credit for the unspent amount. An option like this would possibly attract travelers who already know what the best deal is, but don't want to be forced into a use-it-or-lose-it game. Reusing sims would enable you to focus on just month to month deals - or even 1-2 year contracts.
This could make T-Mobile more viable in the US. At the moment there is no way to get a zero balance T-Mobile sim, and if someone wants a T-Mobile sim that can be used again a year later, they must spend $100 and get the gold status, and hope they return before 365 days. Infrequent European travelers to the US are essentially stuck with AT&T, because only AT&T will distribute zero balance sims so customers can do a topup just before arrival (which starts a 30-90 day clock).
Originally Posted by
cfarivar
- a curated list of the best five free WiFi hotspots in that city (cafe, bar, coworking space, hackerspace, library, etc)
- a physical map showing those hotspots
A digital version rolled into an Android app with offline data would be nice. The physical map would still be useful to those with dumb phones. I'm not sure why you would limit it to 5. Five is perhaps a good goal, but no reason to stop there.
Originally Posted by
cfarivar
- when applicable, a day pass/4 pack of transit tickets for that city
Careful with that. If you bundle unneeded things, customers feel like they're giving up flexability. E.g. if you include a day pass on the transit, and the customer buys a "museum pass" in that city which also includes free transit for the day, there's waste.
Originally Posted by
cfarivar
The idea is that you could order it in advance, have it delivered to you, and hit the ground running with that product in hand, so you can get your work done wherever you are. (Alternatively you could buy from an airport kiosk, but that may come later.)
It's a great idea.
Originally Posted by
cfarivar
This would cost, say a 20-30% markup from the total cost of each item. The customer would be paying for not only the SIM, but saving time by learning where work-friendly free WiFi would be located.
If you can pull off what I suggested, and recycle sims on contracts, it's not just convenience for the customer but savings as well. You could do a 20-30% markup, and the customer could still be paying less than whatever prepaid use-it-or-lose-it deal they would otherwise be forced into.
Originally Posted by
cfarivar
Would this be a product anyone of you would be interested in?
I would be quite interested in seeing what you come up with in the U.S., where prepaid data is extortionately astronomical.