Vodafone’s Sure Signal Box to Solve Patchy Network Problems
Friday, February 5th, 2010
Mobile operator Vodafone is taking a second shot at selling its signal booster product after a trail run last year failed to meet company expectations. The company has re-launched the product this year at a reduced price and with better signalling capacity, according to insiders.
Vodafone had earlier launched the signal booster to address the problems of weak and unreliable network coverage that some of its customers faced frequently. With a view to resolving such network problems, Vodafone launched the Vodafone Access Gateway last year. The latest femtocell technology was used to create this device. However, many customers shunned the product because of its high price of £160. Others who used it found that it did not meet expectations. The product failed to make mark in the markets.
However, Vodafone is confident that in its second and new avatar, the femtocell technology based product is sure to be a massive hit with consumers. This is because firstly, the price of the device has been reduced to £50, and secondly, the technical problems that were reported by users of the earlier version during its previous run have been successfully dealt with and solved, according to company sources.
This second run of the product is expected to be highly successful. Guy Laurence, the chief executive of Vodafone in the
Vodafone is calling the device the Sure Signal box because they are willing to give an ‘absolute guarantee’ regarding its performance. The booster looks like a mast and it utilizes the connection of home broadband to provide better network coverage by drawing on the company’s networks to provide 3G access within a limited area.
Market experts predict that the booster will only be in demand by those who face inconsistent connectivity, and will not be particularly attractive to those who have better coverage or who rarely experience patchy reception.
