Human 4G masts assemble roaming hobonet for pennies

Unbelievable

Really. It beggers belief.

I hope they come with a good quality data bindle.

Sorry.

Similar Business model?

Kinda like a digital Big Issue? Dunno

The Big Issue has been very helpful to many. I'm not sure this is the same though

Is there money in it?

That's the question to ask,

Selling the big issue is fine because it is possible to make money selling magazines on the street, it's a business model that works.

I just can't see that this is a business model that works, who are you targeting? Can't be mobile phone users, if you can get on the mobile network then so can they. Can't be laptop users, to use a laptop to any degree you need to be sat down, if people are sat down, get them some chairs, sell them coffee and attach your wifi to a pole, much cheaper than a person. So that just leaves tablet users who don't also have a cellular connection on their device.

I think that puts this firmly in the degrading camp and is probably a step down from begging.

The good news

The good news is that it has this has in now way affected my opinion of ad agencies.

Meh

It's a bad business model, it's obviously not gonna be of any real use. It's obviously just an attention grabbing advertising idea.

Tbh, any way for homeless people to earn some money is better than nothing. It's up to them whether they want to do it or not.

4G in rural areas

Tie dongles to sheep.

Seems to me, that most people selling the Big tIssue are fakers.

Aren't these hobo's going to end up with malignant tissue?

The last company to give hoboes tumors at least gave them $60 for their trouble, on top of the $60 they got for doing science.

For a fee . . .

. . .I could get some more powerful kit in my bike panniers.

Arrange in advance for me turning up to act as a relay or hotspot for a small event where coverage is lacking.

(Overheard some people at Womad going on about how clean the air was and how the mobile coverage was surprisingly good - I then advised them that there were three huge mobile comms towers with generators in the next field. )

Shocking as it might sound

An awful lot of people are good and honest.

Being on the street doesn't change this.

And there are a lot of people reduced to living on the street in a country with little or no safety net.

(Because of the lack of safety net?) US citizens are much more likely to give to the homeless - and getting wireless coverage at a music festival is a perfect opportunity to pay a (small) amount for utility and charity.