Datawind, the company behind the ‘internet in your pocket’ concept, is aiming to upgrade the PocketSurfer 2 device to include a second roaming SIM card slot.
The additional connection would allow for roaming prices throughout Europe at around £3 per hour, which Datawind COO David Elder says “is cheaper than the price you would pay in an internet café.”
The upgraded unit with the second slot will be available this summer, during Q3 2008.
The unit currently is available for a fixed price with no contract, with all the data usage and connection included in the initial cost.
The company launched the PocketSurfer 2 in the UK in October 2007, and has sold 20,000 units so far.
The device uses GPRS connection, yet still claims to be faster than any smartphone or PDA web-page downloads.
Extending horizons
Datawind will be releasing the PocketSurfer 2 in a number of European countries this summer, and will be operating in Spain, Germany, Austria and Benelux by September.
Elder says the company is in talks with a number of operators to supply the second SIM card, and says it is network agnostic.
“For Britons, this move is not as important, as we are targeting the value sector who may not travel abroad too often,” says Elder.
“We are more looking at the Belgian who often leaves Belgium for business, for instance.
“We are trying to talk with Orange [to offer the roaming data SIM card], though we haven’t managed to reach any agreements.”
