Solutions under £200

The affiliated managed solution

The affiliated managed solution offers a hotspot provided by a recognised hotspot provider. Everything that is required to support the hotspot is provided ‘in the box’ by the operator such as BT Openzone or The Cloud.

The billing is structured through the operators existing services and users pay them directly. Typically there are two billing methods the subscription account and the pay as you go method. The subscription users will have an account with the operator, so they will have their own username and password. The PAYG users can purchase an e-voucher online or in some cases paper vouchers are available to be resold by the host. The host will receive a percentage of the revenue generated from the hotspot.

Pros

It is supported by a recognised brand
Secure Internet access governed by the operators Terms and Conditions of use.
Equipment is supplied with support helpdesks available to the host and a technical support line for users of the hotspot.
Revenue can be generated from voucher sales
Site will be advertised on operator’s website
Solution specifically designed as a hotspot.
If the host did want to provide free access to guests they could purchase an account from the affiliated provider which they could then share with their guests.

Cons

Host will not retain all the revenue generated
Does not feel like a service that is unique to the business.
Limited coverage would be unlikely to provide access to all rooms.
Can seem expensive for non-subscribers.

Examples:

BT Openzone

BT Openzone in a box includes;

20 BT Openzone 1-hour Vouchers (RRP. £6 each)
10 BT Openzone 24-hr Vouchures (RRP. £10 each)
Marketing literature and displays.
Netgear Dual Band Wireless VPN Firewall Router.

The vouchers are resold by the host for a total of £220 the host can then purchase more at a discounted price from BT.

The host will be required to provide an unlimited broadband connection of at least 512Kbps and a spare Ethernet port on a router to plug the Openzone into.

To find out more visit www.btopenzone.co.uk/partners