Is Microsoft planning to be a mobile carrier?
According to reports, Microsoft has been putting considerable efforts into the design and development of its very own SIM card, for Windows 10 devices.
The new card will allow owners of Windows 10 laptops, tablets and smartphones, to connect to a high-speed data network, which will provide connectivity, and charge customers based on usage. The company has released an app, most recently, which offers an insight into how the new SIM will work. The network will also support international roaming, with no word yet on how much this service will cost.
Based on what we have seen so far, Microsoft has contemplated this type of business model for a good while. In fact, Windows 10 devices are already able to automatically seek out and provide purchase options for available secure WiFi networks, through its built-in WiFi connectivity app.
This new service, will support major cellular data networks, through what seems to be some kind of special partnership between Microsoft and major mobile carriers like Verizon and AT&T.
There are a few reasons why we think that this service has been a long time coming.
For one, all mobile carriers are systematically moving away from subsidizing devices, as this business model is flawed on multiple levels, and slows down the upgrade cycle for newer devices. This means mobile carriers will finally be able to focus on the provision of cellular data, which, with any luck, will result in further focus on improving the communication infrastructure and data networks.
The logical outcome is for companies like Microsoft, and most likely Google, and Apple, to jump at the opportunity to offer access to cellular data directly through their devices, rather than forcing customers into multi-year data plans, with mobile carriers more than happy to provide the infrastructure using a wholesale model.
As far as Microsoft in concerned, the service will be tied to the customer’s Microsoft account, and all billing will take place through the Cellular Data app, available from the Windows Store. If Apple decides to invest in a similar model, it’s very possible that a similar service will be tied to an Apple ID, and available across all devices, including MacBooks, using a similar chip as the one provided by Microsoft.