A customer, as above, may be a subscriber or a pay-as-you-go user. The service provider, who may or may not own their own network, contracts with other networks to provide Wi-Fi access to the service provider’s customers. This allows the service provider to retain their contact, and branding, with their own customer base, but to offer that customer service over a wide set of locations, with no need for capital investment on the part of the service provider.
The area over which their customer base can receive service, and the profitability of the business, depend on the commercial negotiating skills of the service provider.
Typically, when a service provider’s customer receives service at a location, that customer will be offered a choice of service providers and must select the one which they wish to use.
This is a rich model, and can be expected to evolve with time.
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