Minneapolis – Best
Buy has begun selling two new wireless-broadband devices designed for use with
mobile broadband service.
These are the
$119.99 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
mobile-broadband 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 RF-MFH2),
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.
