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Old 13-11-2013, 13:12   #1
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Caribbean Wide Affordable Internet Service

Hi All, Axxess Marine provides internet service throughout 28 island in the Caribbean. We would issue you with one sim card, no need to change the sim when moving from island. One account no more lost data credit
Our rates are cheaper then 4G rates in the US or Canada.

Prepaid no contract so you can have it active when you want.
30Gb - $199 valid 30 days
45Gb - $250 valid 30 days
60GB - $300 valid 30 days

For the more full time cruiser we have a season program for 6 month periods.
70GB - per month - 6 months - $1690
100GB - per month - 6 months - $2190

Our net work covers the following islands in the Caribbean
Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire,The British Virgin Islands, The Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Panama, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos, St. Martin, St Maarten and St. Barth

Email us for a free SIM info@axxess-direct.com
Axxess Marine
Phone - +1 721 588 4948
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Old 13-11-2013, 15:24   #2
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Re: Caribbean Wide Affordable Internet Service

Certainly those aren't US$? Perhaps you should state the currency.

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Old 13-11-2013, 15:32   #3
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Re: Caribbean Wide Affordable Internet Service

Holy Crap! I just went to your website and those ARE US$!!!!!

Do you really expect anyone to pay that? Let me give you an example: Guatemala is one of the more expensive places we have paid for internet 3G/4G service. We are currently paying $35 for 20GB for 30 days. All other places we have been have been either similar prices or cheaper.

As for moving around between countries, all it takes is an unlocked dongle/phone/mifi and a free or almost free SIM card where every you go. Very easy and cheap. Changing the SIM takes less than 10 seconds.

Good luck with that business plan. Maybe your network offers something fantastic to be worth those prices?

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Old 13-11-2013, 15:54   #4
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Re: Caribbean Wide Affordable Internet Service

At these prices, satellite systems are starting to look good, plus with satellite systems you can get global coverage.
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Old 13-11-2013, 16:53   #5
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Re: Caribbean Wide Affordable Internet Service

Thanks Mark. you must know best...
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Old 13-11-2013, 17:08   #6
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Wow! Surley the typical cruiser is not your ideal target market at those rates.

I have an unlocked modem and just swap SIMs as we change countries...radically cheaper.
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Old 15-11-2013, 15:28   #7
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Re: Caribbean Wide Affordable Internet Service

Quote:
Originally Posted by Axxess Direct View Post
Our rates are cheaper then 4G rates in the US or Canada.
Doesn't affect me but I hate deceptive/false advertising ...

1. Is your service 4G since you are comparing it with 4G in US and Canada? Please describe the system, speeds, quality, etc.

2. The above statement is not true based on average data plan rates in US or even in Canada. Please provide the link to the rates in US and Canada you are referring to.
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Old 15-11-2013, 17:00   #8
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Re: Caribbean Wide Affordable Internet Service

Dear Mr W

Please see the links for confirmation of the statement that our prices are cheaper then in the US and Canada.

Based on local cellular service as the prices form all the above are for service in the SP network.
Bell Canada . Turbo Stick and Turbo Hub Flex plan from Bell Mobility
Verizon.Prepaid Phones & Prepaid Plans: Cell Phone Plans - Verizon Wireless
T mobile:Mobile Broadband Unlimited Data Plans w/ No Annual Contract | T-Mobile
At&T:AT&T Data Plan - 4G LTE Data Plans with Wi-Fi & Tethering from AT&T
Rogers: http://www.rogers.com/web/content/mo...=plans-pricing
Telus:Mobile Internet Fixed Plans*|* Plans*|* TELUS Mobility

Satellite service was mentioned as well and compared to our service. clearly you can´t compare a global service of KVH or even VSAT to Cellular service. But if you have to compare
1. hardware cost of Satellite service... wow
2. Hardware cost of Cellular service...200-700 depending on system.

Prices per MB or GB
Satellite service KVH- $1.00 per Mb - 1GB is $1024
Cellar service - $0.006 per Mb - 1GB is $6.60

A few points that i would like to point out.
1. All the price from the US and Canada do not have international roaming. Our prices do we cover 28 different islands.
2. Most plans above require 2 year contracts - we don´t have long term contracts only when your onboard you pay for service and data.
3. Our plans are bigger then most providers - with no overage so no surprises
4. No need to get sim cards in every location you arrive.
5. Prices vary in the Caribbean from island to Island, the FWI are more expensive then some of the other Islands like Trinidad & Tobago.
We can´t compete with all the prices in all the island but for most of our clients the service and convenience well out ways the price difference.

Our service is not for everybody, some people are happy to source the SIMS on every island, and some just use Hotspots. This is just another service and it took allot of time, effort and money to set up a network this size with the best data service available on these islands.

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Old 15-11-2013, 19:08   #9
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Re: Caribbean Wide Affordable Internet Service

I think the issue about the cost of your service is not the cost per GB but the fact that the smallest plan you list is 30GB/month for $199. Unless you have additional plans that you didn't mention that is way more than I use in a month, even for business.

On my last cruise, even checking in with the office daily, downloading weather maps and logging into this forum daily I used less than 1GB/month.

Also any of your $200 worth of data plan not used is lost at the end of 30 days. So instead of losing data credit because you move to another island, now you lose data credit if you don't use it by the end of the month.

How about a plans for 1, 2, 4 G and maybe even offer data rollover? That might attract a lot more interest.
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Old 15-11-2013, 21:44   #10
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Re: Caribbean Wide Affordable Internet Service

Thank you for the reply, appreciated.

Is your system 4G/LTE, are we comparing apples to apples?

Let's look at the Bell Canada 4G/LTE Flex Plan as it is one of the two I use while in Canada, and it is the most expensive from all plans I use in Canada and in the USA. Notably, there are more expensive plans but we are trying to find which plan is more cost effective (or cheaper in the long run).

It is a flex plan and therefore it offers the advantage over a fixed price plan. If I happen not to use it at all because I am in US my monthly charge is only $10 CAD. The cost goes up as I use the service … 2GB/$45, 6GB/$70, 10GB/$85, 15GB/$105. If I exceed 15GB, which I never did so far, the additional cost is $10 for every 1GB over 15GB.

This makes expensive Bell Canada plan more cost effective than AXXESS DIRECT lowest monthly plan up to 25GB per month … I think this covers 99% of the cruising community, luxury yachts aside.

Food for thought perhaps … AXXESS DIRECT flex plan, or roll-over as suggested already?

NOTE: $1 CAD approximately $.95 USD at the moment.
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Old 16-11-2013, 05:05   #11
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Re: Caribbean Wide Affordable Internet Service

Hi Richard,

Thanks for your thoughts and input. We have considered many varieties of packages. Not all are possible. With the complexity of the network. (many countries and service providers) a flex plan is not a option. Saying this, our plan is sort of flex, you can have a plan active when you are onboard and not active when you are not onboard. When your not onboard we charge you $0.

Our plans are large and i agree with you this does not fit everybody's needs. But we believe that this is the way forward. Again the sizes of plans have also to do with the partners we work with. But a large part of the data users we encounter want large packages. YouTube, Netflix, downloads, Skype, you name it they use a lot of data.

Both my wife and myself live on a vessel in the Caribbean part of the year, between our kids visiting and other family and friends and guests we use easily use 20-30GB per month. We meet many people that use Axxess Marine's network i can honestly say that 90% of the people love it. Some have the same comments on plan size as you, others just find it to expensive. But with the confirmation of 90% of the users being happy we feel we have a good service.

The network is 90% 4G and in a few locations there is LTE, and the providers are always working on improving the network.

Again i appreciate your thoughts.

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Old 16-11-2013, 09:26   #12
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Im curious about the demographics of your target market and existing user base? Who are you targetting?

Seems to me a couple of obvious target markets are eliminated right up front. Those being the mega yachts and cruisers. The mega yachts likely already have sattelite based service and could care less what it costs. For most cruisers high monthly data quotas are not a big priority and most cruisers are also cost concious.

Like colemj, we buy a prepaid plan on a 4G network here in Guate (TIGO) for about $35 per month that meets our needs (two users via wifi hub). If we needed 30GB per month then it would cost about $89 per month. Still $110 less per month than the 30GB plan you listed. Swapping out a SIM is dead easy and cheap so hard to justify $110 per month for convenience (especially since it is a one time action per country. I have accumulated phone and modem SIMS for most Central American countries and we just swap them out as we move around). Also like colemj, in my experience most other countries I've visited have comparabley priced plans.

You've quoted USA and Canadian plans, but how do your rates compare to retail rates in the countries you service?

With convenience and cost effectively eliminated as competative edges that leaves quality. Which for a network comes down to speed, reliability, and service. Most Caribbean 4G networks I've used are not so great in terms of speed and reliabilty. Both tend to be highly variable. But given that you are in essence reselling their services then your network cannot perform better than your underlying service provider...unless of course you've implemted the ability to automatically switch networks, etc. Same for service, unless you've implemented your own help desk, tech support will be no better than the underlying carrier's (most of which are poor, but I've found TIGO's to be pretty good).

So what is your competative advantage?
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Old 16-11-2013, 10:35   #13
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Re: Caribbean Wide Affordable Internet Service

Hi Belize sailor,

Thank you, as I mention before its not for everybody and that clearly includes you.

Competitive advantage!!, 723 yachts over 80 Ft and more that 3100 cruiser type vessels and charter vessels cant all be wrong.

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Old 16-11-2013, 10:48   #14
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Re: Caribbean Wide Affordable Internet Service

I asked before but did not see a reply so will try again. Why not offer a plan with fewer GB for lower cost? Would open up a much larger market for the service.
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Old 16-11-2013, 10:58   #15
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Re: Caribbean Wide Affordable Internet Service

Hi,

Thats is true that this would open up a larger market, and we will try hard to get other plans for cruisers. but due to the complexity of the network. (many countries and service providers) no other plans are possible at this time.

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