Westan launches mobile broadband offering

Distributor Westan has signed an agreement with iBurst partner Independent Service Provider (ISP) to market the wireless broadband service to the reseller channel.

The deal is Westan's first ISP arrangement and adds a mobile wireless product to bundles coming out of its mobility division.

iBurst provided the wireless technology, ISP the connectivity and Westan sells the service with the iBurst card to the reseller channel.

According to John Sullivan, national product manager at Westan, iBurst and its service providers such as ISP had traditionally sold direct to the end user and hadn't necessarily involved the reseller channel.

Resellers would have the opportunity to sell the $299 (retail) iBurst wireless broadband card and make up to 30 points margin, Sullivan said.

Westan would be putting together mobility bundles that it would on-sell to the channel, he said. Other mobility partners included BenQ, Fujitsu, Belkin, Targus and Samsung.

Bill McArthur, national sales manager of ISP, said iBurst was changing the way people viewed high-speed internet. "Interstate travellers are no longer at the mercy of expensive hotel internet bills and company representatives moving from location to location during the day can have access to emails and data at broadband speeds."

Westan would service resellers in NSW, Victoria, ACT and QLD. It was expected that iBurst base stations would be operational in Perth and Adelaide in the future.