NTV Kenya presenter, Laura Mbatha has sparked a conversation about internet services after sharing a humorous yet genuine question about how home Wi-Fi works compared with mobile data bundles.In a video posted on her Instagram page, Laura wondered why customers who pay for Wi-Fi at home cannot automatically use that same internet connection when they leave the house. “Tell me if I’m making sense.”She began by explaining that she regularly pays for Wi-Fi at home and feels that, in theory, she should be able to use that internet connection freely, especially given how data-heavy the content she consumes is. “If I were selling those one-hundred-shilling videos, I would be using Wi-Fi 24 hours a day, right?”The Wi-Fi DilemmaLaura then pointed out what she sees as a contradiction. While she pays for internet access at home, she still has to purchase separate mobile data bundles whenever she goes outside. According to her, the same phone line she uses when connected to her home Wi-Fi is the one that requires additional bundles once she leaves the house. “But when I leave the house, I have to buy bundles.” “Yet when I pay for this Wi-Fi at home , I use the same line that, when I go outside, needs more bundles.”
Her remarks highlighted a common misunderstanding among many internet users regarding the difference between fixed broadband services and mobile network data.Why Can’t They Just Connect It? Laura questioned why internet providers could not simply transfer the internet she pays for at home onto her mobile phone for use elsewhere. She wondered why customers are required to make separate payments for home internet and mobile connectivity. “If I can use my Wi-Fi 24 hours a day, why can’t they connect the line I use with that Wi-Fi?” “The bundles from that Wi-Fi should be put on my phone so I can use them when I’m outside instead of buying different bundles.”Laura Mbatha // instagram
Towards the end of her remarks, Laura admitted that she still does not fully understand why the two services are treated differently.
She jokingly suggested that perhaps customers are paying for the distance between their homes and wherever they travel. “Does it make sense?” “Or am I paying for the distance? I don’t get it.”
