In our sharing culture there are many things we share with one another. There is ride sharing, house sharing, sharing statuses online, sharing videos and posts. All down to sharing your fries with the ones you know. So why not share your WiFi, securely and with ease?
Simplify Networks brings that capability to the public with their mobile app.
We have managed to get an interview with this wonderful team behind this noble concept and technology. I spoke with Simplify’s founder and CEO, Yen Pei Tay; their Marketing Lead, Matthew Ooi Jiong Mao; Software Lead, Deneb Yeoh Jin An and their Brand Lead, Cindy Chua.
I inquired more details about their service and the company and here is what they had to say!
What’s it All About?
The technology in question allows any smartphone with WiFi capability to connect to a secure WiFi network, without having to punch in the password, so instead of going to Starbucks and looking at the password in the receipt, you can just bypass that and connect without the need for one. So, it makes smartphones smarter!
So imagine if this technology can be embedded into every smartphone that we use? Able to connect to any WiFi?
Now we are not trying to hack WiFi, we just have a special algorithm that allows people to do this.
We are taking the Grab approach into broadband internet space. Like Grab, you have a car at home you don’t drive around much, but with Grab, as you drive your car you can become a taxi driver, paid to give people rides around town.
With our app, we can take anyone with spare mobile data and make anyone an ISP (Internet Service Provider) as they can share that data with others.
So not only can you buy from Maxis, Celcom or Digi, you can now buy from people who have a lot of data to spare.
And the beauty is you pay based on usage, instead of doing prepaid or post-paid. This is suitable for tourists.
We are selling at RM10 per 1GB of data in Malaysia. Let’s say you only consume 100MB, so you only pay 1 RM, which is very affordable.
100MB could last you a whole day, you can use WhatsApp as it is very optimised for data conservation and if you avoid heavy data consuming activities like YouTube, 100MB.
“You might be able to earn more than what you pay for your own mobile plan,”
Matthew, Marketing Lead
Imagine you are riding in a Grab and the Grab driver decided to sell their data to you, so instead of bugging the Grab driver, and asking them for the password, the Simplify App will just let you connect to the WiFi he or she is sharing, with a tap of a button in the app itself.
The Story and the Idea
We started in 2016 and at that time, we practically didn’t even have a product. The company was founded because we went to the entrepreneurship boot-camp at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and we were piloting this idea at the camp and apparently the professors and the mentors said it was a brilliant idea.
I’m on a RM98 plan with Maxis, my data is unlimited,but I couldn’t use up the data, so what I do with the data?
For many consumers in Malaysia, especially the low income group, data means a lot to them.
Because most of them are actually on prepaid plans, they have keep topping up when the data runs out and some of them might not be able to afford the RM38/ month plans for example.
You can also consider tourists who are coming into Malaysia and they are data hungry most of the time, constantly looking for internet connections.
So, it’s quite painful to see people with a lot of data to spare in contrast to those who have no data at all to use.
And this is where we want to bridge the gap.
Now, we are not trying to be an enemy of telecoms, because telecoms always want to sell more data and more sim cards. What we are trying to do is to optimize the data usage among Malaysians, and not just Malaysians, the world’s citizens.
Challenges Then
There were two parts. We spent some time to develop the technology and I’m proud to see that after three years, the technology has been patented in the US and in Malaysia. And that Patent allows us to commercialise it here.
The other part is marketing as marketing is a very tough nut to crack because you have to spend a lot of advertising dollars and we haven’t done very well on that yet, so we are very fortunate to have you guys come in and interview us.
Challenges Now
It’s still the marketing side of it. We need to do more.
We need more awareness and exposure because this is still a new piece of technology.
But since we Malaysians are very technologically driven, once they hear that this technology can help and that it has taken off elsewhere, they will mostly likely try it out here too!
What about security?
We ensure that you are connected to secure WiFi networks with our app.
Places which offer free connectivity, like airports, tend to have more security concerns with the WiFi. But when you connect to a secure WiFi network through the Simplify app, the security of that WiFi network has already been proven.
And the only way you can connect to these networks with ease and sell with ease is through our app.
On top of that, we came up with a complex way of encrypting passwords. So, you will not be able to read the passwords as they have become encrypted into alphanumeric texts in which only computers can decipher.
It would be very difficult for a hacker to hack into. So, this makes Simplify more secure in terms of WiFi connectivity, all while bringing convenience to the consumer.
With all these innovations, how come it is not fully utilized?
It sounds too good to be true right? There’s a stigma behind it all, like in the case for Grab.
The first time that Grab opened, no one approached it, because it was something that they were not aware of.
Same goes with Simplify.
And what we mean by stigma, is that no one is willing to give it a try and that there are quite a few people who are not aware that public, free WiFi is not secure.
Free WiFi is a gamble, as your device is now on the radar for any malicious intent from hackers. It is dangerous as your data is now at risk. There is the possibility of surveillance being done on you without your knowledge.
You must protect your smartphone from these dangers and that free things have a lot of risks that you must bear with.
So, security measures in the app , allows a person to sell or share their WiFi data, along with connect to a WiFi network safely.
What happens when my ISP walks away?
Well, with a wide enough user base,the app will just switch to the next person who is still in range, using the Simplify app as well. So, your connectivity won’t be interrupted.
This will be the case once a lot of people have got the app and utilized it.
Like Grab, they start off small so it was hard to get a ride, but the moment other people start to use it, you can see the snowball effect, as more people started using it.
So, in this sense, if everyone in Malaysia uses Simplify, you have WiFi connectivity in nearly every corner in the country because anyone can be an internet provider with Simplify. It will become more affordable too.
Is it only for mobile data?
Last quarter we have launched a new product which makes your own home WiFi network eligible to be on the platform and to be sell-able.
This means that any WiFi modem can be turned into a shareable service by registering on our website. So, if you are running a kopitiam or grocery store, you can turn your WiFi into a shareable premium network through our app.
So, no more asking for passwords!
If the owner wants to share, you can see it on the app and simply connect!
So, if you are on any WiFi plan, you can start selling and earning through sharing your WiFi with others, securely through the app.
Mode of Marketing?
We hope that more people write about our service so that there is more exposure. We tend to approach editors and tell them about it in hopes that they can put out an article. So, in a way, it is word of mouth marketing.
We plan to go to KLIA to approach the Grab drivers and let them try out the product and we give them a starter pack.
In this pack, there is a car sticker and a glass sticker to identify that they are using the Simplify networks app and that they are sharing their WiFi. A leaflet and brochure is also in it to explain what the company is all about and how you can set up your shared WiFi service.
And if you’re wondering, why Grab drivers? Because our service is very useful for tourists and most tourists use Grab, so if they get in a Grab car with the Simplify Network service, the driver can talk to them about it!
Or when people notice the stickers, they might be curious and ask about it or download it on Google Play.
And it’s not just Grab, we give this to any ride-sharing service available in Malaysia
Satisfying Moments?
Yen Pei Tay says, “I’m proud of the team because just two years ago, we have been named one of the most innovative company by Fast Company Magazine in the US, that puts us on the same list among companies like Alibaba and Amazon.”
“Recently, we won an award from the Sarawak Innovation and Technology Exhibition in July this year. The fact that we have been acknowledged by the global scene makes us want to continue more.”
Future Plans?
We hope to partner up with similar companies around the region and the world who provide this technology.
We want to bring the sharing economy to the global stage, and I think partnerships are very important.
We also aim to diversify on what can be connected, like home appliances or WiFi activated light bulbs (smart lights). So, instead of trying to configure each smart light on your device, you could soon use our app to simply connect to all of them without wasting time as these smart devices all rely on WiFi technology.
And it’s not just light bulbs, Smart TV’s and all devices with WiFi capability can use the app to make it easy to set up. Especially now that a lot of devices have more connectivity features.
We want everything to be connected.
Words of Advice
I guess, it is to be passionate about what you do. And passion is important as three years may sound short, but it was not easy.
But it is those first three years that are the most important for start-ups.
Without passion it is hard to survive.
Conclusion
And that was what the Simplify Network team had to say about their incredibly innovative service.
For more information on their app, do check out their website and register today: https://www.simplify.network/
You can also download the app on the PlayStore now!
Want more exclusive interviews? Then check out our blog!
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