MINNEAPOLIS —
Best Buy has begun selling
two wireless-broadband devices designed for use
with Best Buy Connect mobile broadband service.
These are the $119 3G Mobile Hot Spot and a
$79.99 3G wireless USB stick.
Both devices, made by Novatel Wireless, will
carry the chain’s Rocketfish private-label brand
when they become available June 27 in Best Buy’s
CowBoom online outlet store and at Best Buy Express
kiosks in major airports. They will be offered
with no-contract, prepaid plans starting as low as
$10.
Up until now, Best Buy has been selling laptop
computers with embedded 3G and 4G mobilebroadband
modems activated with Best Buy Connect
service, which was launched in 2010. Under
the Connect initiative, Best Buy purchases 3G
service from Sprint and 4G service from Clearwire
on a wholesale basis. The chain operates as an
MVNO, providing subscribers with service activation,
billing and connection support.
Best Buy currently offers 17 laptops with embedded 3G/4G service and two laptops with
embedded 3G service, its website shows. With the
hot spot and USB stick launches, consumers will
be able to add Best Buy Connect service to other
laptops as well as to mobile Wi-Fi devices.
With the 3G MiFi Mobile Hotspot (MiFi RFMFH2),
consumers can connect and share a broadband
wireless connection with up to five Wi-Fi enabled
devices at once, including laptops, cameras,
digital media players, tablets, gaming consoles and
the like. The 3G MiFi Mobile Hotspot provides up to
four hours of active use on a single charge.
The USB Broadband Device (RF-BCD2) features
internal dual-band diversity antenna, a port for an
optional external antenna, and an integrated MicroSD
slot.
