Dongles Are Getting Cheaper
September 29th, 2008Customers are getting better deals for modem dongles, as the value continues to drop. Experts, who have been studying the market, believe that this is a result of the competition in the industry. As it intensifies, providers have to offer more incentives to entice new customers, and get more sign ups.
When the dongle first made its debut, it was quite an expensive device, and people were willing to pay for the new technology. However, research by experts reveals that the average price is now dropping rapidly. A financial adviser for The Motley Fool, Ms. Ping Chan, has thrown some light on the downward trend in the prices now offered by Mobile Broadband Service Providers, for USB modems. According to her, the competition is this intense, because more and more service providers are joining the industry of mobile internet. With this increase, providers must put in more effort to get customers to switch over to them, or to get new customers interested in signing up. As they scramble for customers, they have to drop prices.
As Ms. Chan pointed out further, mobile broadband dongles were initially very hot, at the beginning of the year. At that time, it was a brand new technology that enabled the user to surf the web while on the go. However, a lot of customers could not afford it then, because of the high price at that time.
One good example of the drop in prices is 3’s mobile broadband deal of five pounds per month, for users who already have a mobile phone contract with them. Some providers are even throwing in the dongles as a freebie, for users who sign up for their PLUS packages. It acts as an incentive, and a good number of users who are interested in going mobile, are willing to sign up for a more expensive package that is bundled with a free dongle.
By dropping the price of their pre pay dongles, providers also succeed in their attempts to attract new customers to the world of mobile broadband.