General4.07.2013

Stuck in the Amazon but need to be at that board meeting in Mauritius? No problem.

The cost of staying connected has long been one of the major pains of travelling – but, says Craig Hallowes of Rockcastle Global Real Estate Company, execMobile has made staying in touch both easy and affordable.

“The choice used to be between staying out of contact, using unreliable and inconvenient public Wifi or spending a fortune,” says Hallowes, whose property company invests in listed securities all over the world. “I spent three days in New York last year and it cost me R7,000 in data charges just to stay in touch with office email. The worst is that the costs are unpredictable, so you never know what to expect.”

Getting an execMobile pocket wifi device made a significant difference, says Hallowes. “Last month I spent 20 days in Brazil with my family, but had to attend a board meeting in Mauritius while I was in the Amazon jungle. I phoned in via Skype for an hour and a half, and had a productive meeting with people based in Mauritius, Romania and South Africa – all while listening to the sounds of birds and animals in the jungle at 3am. The total cost for staying connected for those 20 days, including the board meeting, was less than R1,000.”

But the cost savings are not the only benefit, says Hallowes. “I can be in touch 24/7, anywhere in the world there is a cellphone signal. I don’t have to worry any more about what the charge per megabyte is – it’s just like being at home.”

Using execMobile’s devices is simple, adds Hallowes. “If you need a degree and a 15-page booklet just to turn the thing on, it’s not going to work. But all I need to do with this is switch on the modem and enter a password once to pair the devices – the password is printed right there on the device. It couldn’t be easier. I’ve bought three now, and many of my colleagues have now used them with similar cost savings.”

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