Socially-oriented mobile broadband MVNO Karma has announced that it will launch its first LTE-powered mobile hotspot in the first half of next year, following a year as a Sprint MVNO utilizing the older WiMax data network, which is currently being phased out, though current hotspots will continue to work as normal.
While the announcement offers a timeline for LTE hotspot availability, the company has yet to disclose plans for current customers who wish to transition from their WiMax hotspot hardware to LTE, other than “exclusive upgrade options” for current owners being revealed in the future.
Karma works on the pay-as-you go data model with rates at $14/1GB of data access without expiration dates. The key to the service is also the social aspect that reflects its branding. Karma allows owners to share their data allowance in 100MB increments, with sharing leading to free data access for owners, and the service favoring heavy sharing. Hotspot sales start at $99 and top out at $279 depending on the initial amount of data one chooses to purchase, with additional data access at the above rate.
