What if you could sell your remaining mobile data before the end of the month or even daily? Christophe Bureau, a Board Member of DotDot, in a conversation with EFY’s Mukul Yudhveer Singh, sheds light on what the Dot device offers beyond assisting users in selling their unused internet data.
Q. What exactly does DotDot do?
A. At the end of the day or month, many gigabytes remain in our mobile subscriptions. DotDot allows users to trade these gigabytes completely anonymously.
Q. How is it done?
A. DotDot device, priced at approximately ₹1000 in India, is paired with a phone to create a 100-metre Wi-Fi zone. Users within this range can purchase data from the DotDot network.
Q. Before we get into the details, what inspired the name DotDot?
A. My idea was to connect the dots between people by helping them share gigabytes of internet data, all while ensuring the anonymity of both the seller and the buyer.
| According to Counterpoint Research, India currently has over 600 million smartphone users. As per Nokia’s annual Mobile Broadband Index (MBiT) report, average data consumption per user in India reached 19.5GB per user a month in 2022 |
Q. Why would someone want to use such a device when they can use their phone as a Wi-Fi router?
A. DotDot, unlike a phone, does not require sharing passwords, ensuring optimal cybersecurity for users. Additionally, while a phone’s Wi-Fi zone is limited to 25 metres, DotDot extends this range to 100 metres.
Q. Can you explain the whole process from a user’s and a buyer’s point of view?
A. As a buyer, I connect to a nearby DotDot, where the app replaces the need for a password. From the seller’s perspective, purchasing a ‘dot’ enables them to pair it with their phone, creating a Wi-Fi zone to which nearby users can connect.
Q. Why would my mobile network allow this?
A. Mobile network providers often face a churn rate of 12% to 20%, indicating the percentage of customers who leave their service. DotDot offers a solution by allowing users to sell their unused data, helping them stay active on their network. Additionally, DotDot enables mobile operators to reach populations lacking internet access, potentially increasing their customer base by introducing them to connectivity benefits.
Q. In which parts of the world is this deployed?
A. This is a marketplace. We are starting by building communities. We go to university campuses, NGOs, and other institutions to form partnerships. Moreover, we are in talks with some mobile phone operators in France. We have also started exploring the Indian market.
Q. Apart from the device cost, where does your revenue come from?
A. Users only need to pay for the hardware upfront, with no subscription fees. DotDot earns revenue by taking a commission on transactions. Initially, a significant portion of users choose to share their gigabytes for free, with the majority eventually opting to trade them.
Q. Are there any other use cases for this device?
A. DotDot devices can create decentralised networks that are private or public, allowing teams to stay connected without internet access. These networks have applications in defence, mining, remote areas, and low-latency environments. DotDot also has potential uses in manufacturing, replacing costly communication devices between equipment. Additionally, DotDot is exploring applications with special forces for their unique communication needs.
Q. What are some possible use cases in India?
A. In the Indian market, defence, manufacturing, and the automotive industry are our biggest markets! While use cases for the defence industry are sensitive, in manufacturing, the mesh networks can easily replace otherwise expensive equipment. In the automotive industry, one device can be installed per vehicle and then used for over-the-air updates.
Q. Where is the device manufactured? Also, please highlight the components being used.
A. The manufacturing is in France, with some components sourced from Taiwan. We are working to diversify our sourcing with embedded hardware-agnostic software. All hardware parts are manufactured in France. For software, we are partnering with an Indian company called Infinity Solution based in Coimbatore. We do not rule out the possibility of a manufacturing line in India.
