T-Mobile International may have come up with the killer application to differentiate its 3G offering and fuel new demand for mobile broadband dongles: share the device bandwidth among multiple users.
One of the obvious drawbacks for those who want to slice landlines and go all-mobile is the inability to share that 3G data connection from a single input device or dongle. While common for DSL or cable modems to share in-building broadband with a WiFi link, a 3G dongle has generally been a one-user dead end. By launching a wireless router in the U.K., T-Mobile will be able to mirror landline services by letting up to three users connect using the dongle plugged into a Mobile Broadband Share Dock.
While there is speculation that the dock will be given away for certain users on packaged plans and available to existing customers via a separate purchase, T-Mobile has yet to define how the unit will be distributed other than to claim that up to three people can share a wireless connection "comfortably" with it.
For more:
- see this article
Related articles:
T-Mobile unveils 3G/WiFi docking station (femtocell?)
T-Mobile needs to differentiate its UMTS network