5 replies to this topic

[netsyst]

Hello,

I have a major issue to discuss with other operators in order to find the proper legal way of operating as WISP.

Until now I have been using SOHO Internet services from ISPs in Greece and none of them actually allow the reselling of the internet in their service contract: OTENET, FORTHNET or WIND. Only Leased Line contract would allow for such use: the pb, these services are not adapted to our service with low very stable bandwidth such as 128kbs and are also very expensive with 500 Euros/month in Greece.

Now my question is this. If it is forbidden to use SOHO by reselling then most hotspots, hotel hotspots, internet cafes are outlaws, right!!? Now if I consider selling a web service and offer FREE wifi internet while using this service, then this should be legal, right! For instance, a lot of cafeterias around the world and in Greece offer FREE wifi as soon as we sit for a coffee: SO this is LEGAL?

Let us say that I sell an online web service to my client using a subscription making them pay monthly without contract (such as taking a coffee), then I can offer my Internet Hotspot access for FREE with this and this should be legal, right?

Elsewhere, I have seen how FON does it and let the users take the responsibility of checking whether they are allowed or not to place their service on top of their ISP service. Legal-wise, this is all but confusing.

Please contribute to this HOT subject because it is a very important building block for our business models.

Cheers all
Stephane

[skylinenet]

Hello Stephane,

I believe you're 100% right as today I had the same question from a customer. On the other hand giving away free Wifi signal i.e. from a cafe is very dangerous for the owner of the cafe because if there is a fraud from a user, then he or she will be prosecuted by law and not the user as there is no registration tracking. So in a sense all Free Internet is Illegal as long as it is not used by registered users (i.e. identity card or passport, etc.).

It would be interesting to have an opinion from HotspotSystem as well.

Theodore.

[Marko]

Hi Theodore,

It is not true that there is no registration tracking.

You can authenticate users through their mobile phones by SMS, they will be required to enter their phone number on the splash page before making a purchase, they will receive an authentication code and will have to enter that code before they can proceed. You can read this knowledge base article for more info:

http://www.hotspotsy...=4633-PGHK-1568

You can also combine your hotspot with OpenDNS to monitor activity and block certain sites.  http://www.hotspotsy...=2780-KLXM-8228

Marko

[skylinenet]

Marko, on 11 October 2011 - 03:55 PM, said:

Hi Theodore,

It is not true that there is no registration tracking.

You can authenticate users through their mobile phones by SMS, they will be required to enter their phone number on the splash page before making a purchase, they will receive an authentication code and will have to enter that code before they can proceed. You can read this knowledge base article for more info:

http://www.hotspotsy...=4633-PGHK-1568

You can also combine your hotspot with OpenDNS to monitor activity and block certain sites.  http://www.hotspotsy...=2780-KLXM-8228

Marko

Hi Marko,

I know that HotspotSystem is able to track its users. What I meant was about customers who provide Free Internet feed without using any Hotspot service at all. I also believe that this is a  major advantage of HotspotSystem when it comes to selling the service.


Theo.

[om3n]

Just a note on this topic. You would have to check the laws in your respectful countries. Here with a soho account you could run something like that or servers if you needed. Here a regular account might get it shut down, but that's about it.. Even if you used it to provide a free service you would still be accountable for the actions of people using the service. At least with hotspot system you can cooperate with authorities if they need to audit logs, transactions etc as part of an investigation. If you didn't have any form of auditing that liability would fall upon you. (at least over here)

[LincolnHwy]

In the US, doesn't having a Splash Page with agreeing to Terms and Conditions, provide some level of protection?