It’s Complicated

Joe’s blog about technology, life, and more.

It all makes sense now…as of today.  I came to work this morning with a batch of e-mails alerting me to the fact that many of our international users were getting an e-mail from Motorola Good saying they did not have a supported Good Data Plan with their wireless carrier.  We checked with the carriers and verified they had the correct Data Plan that does support GMM. 

A few calls to support and it is all clear now.  Here is what happened.  Remember a few months ago U.S. users started getting letters from at&t wireless saying that you are a GMM users and as such will be automatically switched to an Enterprise Data plan for Good?  That whole process was very confusing, since we paid for our own server and CALs through Good, but then had to pay for a more expensive Data Plan from at&t just because we use Goodlink?  Sounded like double dipping to me and maybe it still is.  Here is the breakdown of how this works now…

   A. You pay for a server license and CALs through Motorola Good

   B. You need a Wireless Data Plan for Good Mobile Messaging (which includes a fee for Direct Secure Transport Service – basically a fee for using the Good NOC).

   C. If you have international users on non-authorized Good reseller providers, you can buy a DSTS plan directly from Good.  

   Its kind of crazy the way this all works, the licensing for Good is confusing and they get you coming and going.  You pay for the server and CALS, but then have to buy a more expensive data plan from a wireless provider that wraps in a fee for using the Good NOC.  So the wireless carrier probably takes a cut, and then you pay Good again for use of their services.  Why not just wrap the NOC fee into the CAL and leave the wireless carriers alone and prevent all this confusion? 

   In any event, my problem today was that apparently we had purchased STS plans previously that had expired.  Good turned off entitlement to these users today without notice.  Now we have to go through sales to renew or purchase new STS plans for a bunch of international users who don’t have the ability to get a Good data plan since there are not that many authorized wireless resellers for Good (7 are listed on the Good website). 

   This goes back to my post about unlimited never truly means unlimited and another post about the letters from at&t.  Oh and not quite related, but relevant, don’t forget to check out my post about goodlink and activesync.