Industry News for Business Leaders
5GCompany ProfileElectronicsFeaturedIndustrial IT

With #dotdot, Mobile Data Sharing Supports Digital Solidarity

With #dotdot, Mobile Data Sharing Supports Digital Solidarity
The French company #dotdot is developing a small WiFi repeater made from recycled materials, designed to resell unused mobile internet data. It has won a CES Innovation Award® in the "Smart City" category, ahead of the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. (Courtesy of #dotdot)

The French company #dotdot is developing a small WiFi repeater made from recycled materials, designed to resell unused mobile internet data. It has won a CES Innovation Award® in the “Smart City” category, ahead of the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This prestigious award recognizes the outstanding design and engineering of the technology, as well as its commitment to social impact and sustainability. We had the opportunity to speak with co-founder and board member Christophe Bureau to learn more about this innovative solution.

Letting smartphone owners anonymously share or sell their unused mobile data, #dotdot’s pocket-size Wi-Fi hotspot addresses the ‘digital fracture’ for mobile users who struggle with monthly fees.

French smartphone owners can access 250-gigabyte plans for as little as €30 per month, yet they typically only use around 15 GB. While many people in France have much more mobile data than they need, around 15 to 20% of mobile users struggle to make the financial commitment to a monthly plan even if their data requirements are small.

Trading Excess Gigabytes

Based in Grenoble, France’s #dotdot allows smartphone owners to trade their excess gigabytes, using a small #dot Wi-Fi hotspot with a 100-meter range and the ability to create a mesh network.

Smartphone owners can anonymously share 15 Mbps speeds between up to three devices, offering their data for free or charging €1 per GB, of which #dotdot takes a 20% commission.

With 4G and 5G connections ranging from 50 to 150 Mbps, the 15 Mbps speed limit ensures that data sharing does not impact the sharer’s own internet performance.

The ability to freely share or sell excess gigabytes helps smartphone owners recoup some of their data costs, while also helping those nearby who struggle to afford a monthly data plan, says #dotdot co-founder and board member Christophe Bureau.

“France has an appetite for this kind of digital solidarity, and we’ve found that around a third of people are happy to share their mobile data for free with those in need.”

The nation’s large mobile network operators are not opposed to their customers selling mobile data to people on low incomes, Bureau says, because low-income customers tend to have high churn rates and often struggle to pay their bills.

On the other hand Virtual Mobile Network Operators, which don’t own infrastructure and only resell data from the large network operators, are less happy about their customers using #dotdot to onsell mobile data.

“The virtual operators tend to target low-income customers who don’t consume a lot of mobile data. These virtual operators are betting on the fact that their customers won’t use much of their data allowance. If their customers consume everything that they have purchased, perhaps by sharing their data with others, then the virtual operator’s business model is not profitable anymore.” 

The #dot Wi-Fi hotspot is available to the French public for €40, although the business is focusing on B2B sales, including discussions with university campuses, NGOs and large mobile network operators.

Smartphone owners can manage their #dot Wi-Fi hotspot using the #dotdot app, which also serves as a marketplace, helping users locate zones of high availability and demand using Google Maps. (Courtesy of #dotdot)

Winner of CES Innovation Award

The device is the winner of a CES Innovation Award in the ‘Smart City’ category, ahead of January’s 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The award highlights exceptional design, engineering and a commitment to social responsibility.

Made in France, the #dot Wi-Fi hotspot features an electronics board manufactured near Lille and a casing crafted from recycled materials. It is assembled at the ReFactory, a circular economy hub of the Renault Group in Flins, where the #dotdot business was incubated. 

Smartphone owners can manage their #dot Wi-Fi hotspot using the #dotdot app, which also serves as a marketplace, helping users locate zones of high availability and demand using Google Maps.

Safer than public Wi-Fi, #dotdot’s patented security technology – currently in the international PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) phase – enables smartphone owners to securely share their mobile data without the need for passwords.

The #doter sharing their data can specify how many gigabytes they are prepared to share and how long #dotees can connect. The parties can not identify each other, with authentication handled in the cloud to ensure privacy, although #dotee’s mobile numbers are logged to comply with anti-terrorism law.

Business Expansion

The business plans to expand across Europe into markets where telecommunications providers do not forbid data sharing in their terms and conditions. The greatest potential is perhaps in regions of Asia and Africa where a large percentage of the population struggles to afford a monthly data plan, Bureau says.

“We see it being popular for digital solidarity in countries where mobile data is still very expensive for your average person. We also see an appetite from the automotive industry.”

According to Bureau, they are discussing with a European car manufacturer the potential to embed #dots in their cars.

“So people know data sharing is available to everyone wherever they see those cars.”

RELATED ARTICLE

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement