The News
Thrifty, a car rental company, offers a 3G Hotspot with 150MB/day at NZ$12.50 ($6.50/day through 30 September 2014) when renting a car. The Thrifty hotspot connects to Vodafone New Zealand's 3G mobile data network.
Who Benefits?
Thrity's target consumer, of course, is the traveler.- The traveler benefits from the convenience of being able to hire a car and obtain a mobile data package to accompany them as they roam New Zealand.
- The hotspot is pocket-sized and removable for the vehicle. Hence, the traveler need not stay in the car of near parking garages/lots. The traveler may take the hotspot into buildings.
Vodafone New Zealand benefits in at least three ways.
- Of course, there's the simple fact of having a large enterprise, Thrifty, as a customer, to increase revenue.
- Vodafone releases 3G Hotspot inventory, which will become harder to off-load as 4G LTE products become more popular and affordable.
- Vodafone's investment on their 3G network is milked for cash as other customers migrate to 4G.
Who is impacted?
The hospitality industry is impacted by such a pairing.- Travelers that pay for WiFi in a hotel have an alternative access point provider, thus some of the hotel's amenities revenue may be lowered.
- Travelers have differentiated hotels based on the availability of free High-Speed Internet connections. 150 MB/day may not be sufficient for all of a person's daily data use, but it may be sufficient for the first day of a car rental agreement. Might the traveler change their hotel selection criteria for the first night of their travels?
