Idea launches 3G dongle with cloud services for Rs 1,799

Idea Cellular launched a 3G dongle with cloud-based services today. As per an official statement, this 3G dongle offers three key features: Internet access, storage capacity of 2GB on the cloud, and Cloud Messenger+, a cloud-based messenger service allowing free and unlimited communication between cloud users.

The official statement adds that the new cloud dongle enables users to share pictures, music, videos, and documents through the ‘Cloud Share’ option, syncing all the attached devices. Users of Idea dongle can also avail other cloud features such as data backup and easy recovery, thus making it the safest and most secure device for Internet access and data storage.

Idea 3G dongle with cloud services launched

The company, in its statement, claims that this product offers fast, safe, and affordable data connectivity, and connects easily and quickly to any PC, netbook or laptop.

Announcing the launch, Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular said, "Cloud is the new technology, and we are the first mobile operator to introduce this into the Indian market. Idea is committed to delivering innovative and easy-to-use data products and services across all categories - smartphones, mobile broadband and home devices. The new 3G dongle will enable consumers to take even greater advantage of its fast data connectivity at home, office and on-the-go, and additional option to store and share files over cloud”.

The device is capable of download speeds of up to 7.2Mbps and upload speeds of up to 5.76Mbps. Idea offers buyers of the dongle free storage of 2GB for a period of one year.

The new dongle is priced at Rs 1,799. Users can connect the dongle by simply plugging it into a PC or laptop port, and it automatically installs Idea software with cloud plug-in.

Idea Cellular will be offering its new cloud dongle through all Idea outlets, across 22 circles in the country.

In June this year, there were reports about Idea Cellular and Airtel planning to move part of their data services to Wi-Fi hotspots. It had been an attempt to free up limited 2G and 3G airwaves for mobile telephony. Reports went on to add that Bharti Airtel has already set up 1,000 hotspots in three cities across the nation with high levels of data consumption, to assign a greater proportion of its licensed spectrum for handling voice traffic. Bharti Airtel's President for consumer business, K Srinivas, was quoted by the report as saying, "Spectrum is limited, and all over the world carriers have offloaded data on to Wi-Fi, integrating it with existing networks while the back haul can be any medium - copper, fibre or LTE. It's pretty much part of the plan for us as well".