A unique way of differentiating a wireless offering comes from Seniors Wireless, a subsidiary of Australia-based MVNO emveno. The two-part offering launched yesterday combines mobile voice and data service with a telemedicine service operated by emveno called teleMED Assist.
TeleMED Assist promises to give customers the ability to speak with a doctor at any time of day or night any day of the year. In an interview, Seniors Wireless CEO and founder Zaccariah Swindells said he was inspired to get involved with telemedicine to meet the needs of his own elderly relatives.
Customers can buy TeleMED Assist as a standalone offering or in combination with mobile voice and data service, which runs over Sprint’s network.
Mobile Telemedicine
Customers pre-pay for teleMED Assist service at the rate of one dollar a day. Mobile service, also sold on a prepaid basis, costs an additional dollar a day for unlimited voice and text service and 500 megabytes of monthly data.
Customers “know how much it will cost,” Swindells said — an important consideration for seniors who may be on fixed incomes. Seniors Wireless also offers health-related apps at no charge — such as an app that reminds customers when it’s time to take their medication.
Seniors Wireless plans to market its services through social media and other online methods, Swindells said. The company also is in talks with large retailers about offering the service, he said.
Swindells is looking forward to the launch next month of the Apple watch for which his company also has devised some innovative applications designed to make sure customers stay active, he said. Swindells pointed to recent research that showed two thirds of seniors would use wearable wireless devices if doing so would improve their health.
In the works from Seniors Wireless are apps to measure heart rate, store health data and provide information about calorie counts. The company will have a “unique plan” for the Apple watch, Swindells said.
