Transatel has launched a data roaming services targeted at frequent travelers and offering connectivity at local rates.
The Transatel Data SIM card delivers connectivity in any given country for the sole purpose of data roaming at local rates. The service currently covers 15 countries, including France, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Taiwan, India and Malaysia.
“Today, only 3 to 4% of computers and 5 to 10% of tablets on the market are provided with a module that allows the insertion of a SIM card. Most often, they are only Wi-Fi equipped, which is problematic since Wi-Fi isn't always available, and can be expensive,” Transatel CEO Jacques Bonifay said.
“The Transatel Data SIM card delivers connectivity in any given country at local rates. We are currently negotiating agreements worldwide with local operators, and will keep adding access to 2 to 3 countries every month."
Users get one data SIM card for all of their travels, delivered to their home, to benefit from local rates wherever they happen to be going. Users no longer need to buy one SIM card per country upon arrival, but can accumulate bundles on the same card, and top up via the retail website.
The company says that the solution is ideal for frequent or regular travelers: executives who balance work abroad with work at home, tourists who want to explore their destination while remaining connected. Given that the SIM card also works in one's home country as well Transatel says that users never need to switch from one data roaming outlet to another.
At this stage, the Transatel dataSIM is a prepaid service that anyone can purchase, whether they are a consumer or enterprise. As the point of purchase and transaction is the website, only the credit card is mandatory,” said a company spokesperson, “We shall add new services such as recurring top-up in the next few months and extend to more countries.”
The technology used for Transatel Data SIM is offered to service providers under the SIM 901 brand, in a flexible array of business models. Transatel provides solutions, for example, for companies who would like to provide this service to their customers under their own brand. Such services can be prepaid or postpaid.