Skyroam Hotspot device review: #MWC15

Need for #MWC15 Speed

Each year, RCR Wireless News sends members of our team to Barcelona, Spain, to cover the  proverbial “Super Bowl” of the mobile industry – GSMA’s Mobile World Congress. Last year, our team met with over 125 companies, posted dozens of articles and published in excess of 250 videos, representing over 100 gigabytes of data. See Mobile World Congress 2014 Playlist 1 and Playlist 2.

Like any manufacturing process, we have to balance timely content creation and distribution with quality, quantity and cost. The end result of our content production process is a stream of editorial and sponsored posts, and videos distributed to the industry via our website, newsletter, search engines and social media channels.

Although access to cost-effective, anytime, anywhere high-speed data Internet is one of the most critical components to our content creation, distribution and community engagement process, our quality editorial staff is the most important element. Being one of the first to create and publish breaking news, product announcements, photographs and videos has a direct impact on the success of our content distribution process, which is measured by page and video views as well as shares and likes across social media. In some cases, being one of the first journalists to post a well-constructed, multimedia news article will result in an article or video receiving 10 to 20 times the views of an average-performing news insight post or video.

International #MWC15 data roaming options

Planning for high-speed data Internet access and international roaming during #MWC15 is critical to our success each year. Outlined below is a snapshot of international data roaming options we are considering while attending Mobile World Congress 2015:

• The #MWC15 press room provides journalists with above-average industry trade show wired and wireless Internet access. The press room stays open until 7 p.m. each night of the show except for Thursday, the final day.
• #MWC15 onsite Wi-Fi access for general attendees is above average compared to other trade shows; however, a journalist or video team working against a deadline or pressed to be first to post a story needs to have a back-up plan. One alternative is using our U.S. carrier’s international data roaming (see cost summary below), which is not a sustainable option due to cost and reliability. Keep in mind that many of the 80,000 plus event attendees are trying to use the same carrier network.
• Boingo Wi-Fi international data roaming offers a $29.95 unlimited “Europe Plus” option that includes unlimited Wi-Fi connections throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa for a low monthly rate. Generally speaking, we have found the service easy to use; however, it can be hit-or-miss when utilized for uploading significant amounts of video data.
• Hotel Wi-Fi. Need we say more? Our globetrotting team has learned to not depend on hotel Wi-Fi as a reliable option for uploading video data, especially during a trade show when all the hotel guests are also trade show guests trying to use the hotel Wi-Fi.
• Apartment Wi-Fi. As a general rule, RCR Wireless News will rent local apartments vs. staying in hotels. We have found apartment Wi-Fi to be the most reliable means of uploading videos. After leaving MWC for the day, we generally stop by the apartment to start uploading videos, go to another event, then return to the apartment to edit and continue uploading videos throughout the night hoping that all our videos successfully uploaded to our YouTube channel. If not, we race to the on-site press room to upload any remaining videos before starting a new day of meetings, video interviews and product demonstrations.
• Global SIM cards offer the ability to access a local mobile operator network, ideally 4G LTE. The challenges include the time required to find a store that is open on Sunday when you arrive in Barcelona, coupled with the technical challenges associated with switching out a SIM card on an Apple product. In addition, you run the risk of your phone not being compatible with the local carrier’s network due to the lack of global spectrum harmonization. On the positive side, the incremental cost of data use will be materially cheaper than the international data roaming rate charged by your existing mobile phone company.
• Purchasing a local device with an unlimited 4G LTE data plan is probably the optimal solution, but depends on the cost of the phone, data plan promotions available and, most importantly, finding an open store when arriving in Barcelona. More often than not, we arrive on Sunday and have found it virtually impossible to find an open mobile phone store.
• Cellular international data roaming has been improving over the years in terms of cost, throughput and availability. We have a business account with AT&T that includes a 40 GB shared data plan that is great for uploading video in the U.S., but is not a viable option for uploading gigs of video data from Barcelona. That being said, we will upgrade one or more iPhone 6 to include an international data roaming plan. Below is snapshot of AT&T’s international roaming smartphone packages (source – AT&T website):

Skyroam device review

For less than $10 per day, a Skyroam Hotspot will provide unlimited data for up to five devices in all countries covered by Skyroam. Users sign up online for a $99 five-day program and Skyroam ships a pre-charged device with pre-loaded day passes. If more day passes are needed, users can log into the portal and buy more.

To sign up for Skyroam service, visit its website. Devices may also be purchased through its retail partner, Fry’s, as well as online through Amazon’s portal.

Skyroam offers special business pricing for enterprise customers with 10 or more users. According to the company’s website, benefits to enterprise for using Skyroam include securing corporate data, containing international roaming costs, enabling BYOD programs and streamlining reimbursement.

For #MWC15 data roaming, Skyroam has provided RCR Wireless News with three devices with up 40 gigs of data usage. Check out our “pre-event” product review:

Skyroam Hotspot technical specs: