Hit the WIRE

8bitfuture:

Free 4G internet service to begin in the US.

‘FreedomPop” will give users around a gigabyte of free 4G internet access per month when it launches in the US later this year. 

While it’s not quite the first to do so, it is offering five times more data than NetZero’s free offering, and will offer an interesting way to connect your iPhone:

FreedomPop will offer three mobile broadband devices at first. There will be a USB dongle for laptops, a Wi-Fi hotspot device that can connect up to 20 devices to the Web, and an iPhone case that will allow the smart phone to circumvent the user’s wireless carrier and can also charge the phone and act as a hotspot for up to eight additional devices.

Users won’t pay for the devices, but they will have to fork over a refundable deposit fee.

While it’s not clear exactly how the company will generate revenue, it is likely to come partly from advertising (pop-ups interrupting your web access for example), and by charging users who want more data or extra services.

(via 8bitfuture)