This Box Could Make Sure You Never Have To Pay International Roaming Fees Ever Again

Advertisement

Anqor

Anqor

You've been on holiday a few days now and you want to check your email. There's no wi-fi, so you switch on data roaming. You've only been checking it for five minutes and before you know it, your phone bill has rocketed up to ungodly levels.

Advertisement

A Danish startup proposes a solution to this problem using a white box called Anqor. Anqor acts a hotspot you can take abroad to avoid accruing large data fees. The product will be slightly larger than a mobile phone, so will easily fit into your hand luggage.

According to its Kickstarter page, Anqor is "a 3G/4G mobile product, combining hardware and subscription." When Anqor is switched on, the hotspot finds out where you are. Once it has found out your location, it loads local SIM card data from its database, giving you access to the quickest networks in the area as if you were a local caller.

Complimentary Tech Event
Transform talent with learning that works
Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

The Kickstarter page says the device has "six strong points":

  1. No roaming - Customers don't need to worry about outrageous roaming bills. All of the data goes through Anqor.
  2. Unleashed - Customers never have to worry about their phones being locked to an unwanted carrier.
  3. No hassle with SIM cards - Many current devices that hack roaming points such as Ukko Mobile and Godspeed require SIM cards. Anqor doesn't.
  4. Exceptional data connection - The device has antenna specially designed to give clients a strong data connection.
  5. Double bandwidth - Anqor has dual active modems.
  6. Fastest connection - The product automatically selects the fastest internet provider in the area.

If you are traveling in a group, you can connect up to 10 devices to it at once, and it has an eight-hour battery life.

Advertisement

Anqor offers the choice between a global and a home subscription. A global subscription, with 2GB of data included, starts at £32 ($52.91) per month. A home subscription, offering 5GB of data, starts at £10 ($16.53) per month. The subscription can be activated and terminated at the customer's leisure, and the tentative price of the box is £200.

Anqor has already garnered a lot of support, raising over £6,000 in its first day of funding. But the company still has a lot of ground to cover if it is to reach its £250,000 goal by Oct. 3.

The company intends to sell the product to the public in June 2015.