*2012/12/31 ndungu stephen <ndungustephen@gmail.com> *
*Hi Tony,* * * *So basically this product utilizes a loophole in the mobile networks, or does it use normal latched connection with 0 balance, but bypasses the operators dns, and goes straight to public dns eg 8.8.8.8 ? *
I hope the old wi-free product refers since I'm not privy to how the 'Kenya Digital Alliance' product works. As an intelligent guess, I'd say your theory of bypassing the operator's DNS applies. The reason I say so is that some operators in UG (Notably MTN) kept on changing the targeted ports just to ward off the pesky wi-free users. This in my view just points to some necessary evil of maintaining those ports open for some good reason. I don't see any glaring loop-hole in that. It wouldn't have mattered if you had any balance on your account or not. The per-requisite was that you had a sustained connection to the operators data network. Locally, some of the operators only allow you to connect to their data network when your account balance is above some thresh-hold value. As the stingy part of me would have it, I preferred to ride on the operator who allowed me to latch onto their data network sans checking my account balance beforehand :) My emphasis on the zero balance angle is meant to point out that the OpCo on whose infrastructure you were riding had nothing in it for them.