FreedomPop launches rollover data strategy - for a $3.50/month fee

Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR) MVNO FreedomPop said it is launching a new service that will allow customers to roll over their unused data allotments from one month to the next for a $3.50 monthly fee.

The concept of rollover voice minutes is not new, and indeed AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) has used it for years, but a rollover scheme for data usage is actually quite novel. Under the FreedomPop scheme, customers can store up to 500 MB each month and continue rolling it over until the fund reaches 20 GB.

A FreedomPop spokeswoman said 30 percent of FreedomPop's existing users opted into the value-added service within the first 24 hours of it going live on Wednesday. FreedomPop has not disclosed how many customers it has.

The new feature comes a few weeks after the company began selling its WiMAX-powered $89 Burst home router. The device also came with new pricing options from FreedomPop, which is offering Burst owners 1 GB of free data per month.

FreedomPop's "freemium" business model is designed to entice users to the service with a free package of data in the hope that customers will purchase additional data allotments or other services from FreedomPop. The MVNO said Burst users who consume more than 1 GB can purchase additional data at $5 per GB. Users can also purchase a 10 GB package of data for $9.99 per month, with additional data beyond that amount priced at $5 per GB.

Beyond the data buckets, FreedomPop is upselling with faster data speeds. Burst users can purchase speeds of up to 6 Mbps for $14.99 per month and speeds up to 12 Mbps for $18.99 per month. FreedomPop currently offers 500 MB of free data to its existing customers, who can access the company's service through portable hotspots, USB modems and iPod touch cases. FreedomPop is planning to release a range of new products, including cases for Android phones and iPhones, in the coming months.

Although FreedomPop's current products run on Clearwire's mobile WiMAX network, the company is working to launch LTE service using Sprint Nextel's (NYSE:S) LTE network. FreedomPop CEO Stephen Stokols recently disclosed that FreedomPop "slightly delayed" its tentative LTE launch from the second quarter of this year to the third quarter of this year.

For more:
- see this GigaOM article
- see this DSL Reports article
- see this Today's iPhone post

Related Articles:
FreedomPop intros new pricing options with Burst in-home broadband router
FreedomPop intros data-sharing service - but iPhone Sleeve is still MIA
Report: FreedomPop to launch 'LTE clip' for iPad, Android tablets
FreedomPop's iPhone Sleeve stuck in FCC certification, costing $550,000
FreedomPop gives away 1 GB per month for in-home broadband service