konekt has a history of providing m2m and internet data communication services, according to the FAQ on the kickstarter. We currently use Verizon for a majority of our services, however I started looking into MVNOs such as DataXoom, Data2Go, and even Ting (Tucows). Admittedly, Ting is more consumer oriented but they do offer data pooling. One thing I liked about the aforementioned is that they offer co-managed Verizon (sprint for ting) and at&t.
Can you compare or contrast what you offer to what they offer, detailing things like device integration? I recognize that you don’t have any reason to offer cdma at this point so this isn’t a 1:1 comparison. However, any info is super appreciated!
Looking at the folks you mentioned I think that data2go is probably closest to our offering. I’ll mention the main benefits of Konekt vs. an MVNO like data2go and then I’ll explain how we are different from companies like Ting
Major Benefits vs. M2M MVNOs
To begin with, Konekt differs from all current MVNOs in that we are a technology company rather than a cellular company. Cellular companies tend to be sales oriented rather than technology oriented which leads to a bunch of key differences, such as…
Transparent pricing: you can view our [pricing here][1]. Because all other MVNOs are sales driven they do not publish their pricing, rather you will need to go through a lot of negotiation to find out their best price for data.
Platform focus: Konekt is designed to be a self-service platform for connecting devices to the internet with cellular. We don’t have a large sales organization (or all the overhead that goes with it), so we can afford to offer you our best price ($0.60/MB) whether you have 1 device or 10,000.
Developer-first approach: Because we are a technology company we don’t just provide cellular connectivity, we are focused on building a developer platform that makes it easier to build connected products. This means that we can provide all the services of any tradition MVNO, but generally we can provide in a much affordable and developer/user friendly manner. Features include:
Custom APNs/VPNs ; static or dynamic IP addresses ; all on demand with no monthly fees
Device management for 1 or 1 million devices, all available via Dashboard or API
Inbound device connections
Over the air firmware updates and firmware management (using the Konekt Dash)
User billing and management
Open REST API architecture
Highly customizable alerting system
Granular billing and usage (no delays on usage data, billing per KB rather than per MB)
Webhooks and API functionality for hardware (when using the Konekt Dash)
Redundant network with global focus: right out of the box your Konekt Global SIM will work in over 100 countries usually across 2-3 networks per country. For example: in the US our SIMs will connect to both AT&T and T-Mobile depending on which signal is stronger
Difference between Konekt and Consumer MVNOs (ie. Ting)##
For most M2M applications you don’t need a $30 data plan with 3GB of data, you need MBs or even just KBs of data per month (1MB of data = ~20,000 messages).
Konekt provides plans that can cost less than $0.50 per month for a very small amount of data. And, if you need large amounts of data (100+ MB) per month, we can often help arrange better pricing than folks like Ting who aren’t very flexible for M2M applications.