Rent an XCom (or Two) and Work Overseas

NEW DELHI (MainStreet) -- Global business travelers, rejoice. There might just be a simple way to stay connected around the globe.

If you sojourn overseas in hopes of creating value for demanding clients, you know the truth about international biz travel: Your phone is just half the battle. Web access is the real business buzz kill. Hotel Wi-Fi works, but it's not cheap. Data roaming on your smartphone also works, but Verizon (VZ), Sprint (S), AT&T (T) and the rest charge a king's ransom for the service. In-country Wi-Fi is handy, but it's not secure.

The aXcess MiFi Mobile Hotspot is a fairly simple, but not cheap, way to stay connected almost anywhere around the globe.

Friends, in these dangerous times, that is not the way to keep your business secrets secret.

One global data roaming solution that has given me reasonable results in the past: San Diego-based XCom Global. The company rents globally roaming data modems and Wi-Fi hotspots by the day to U.S. business travelers.

XCom Global worked well for me on a simple business trip to Italy. But in January, the company boasted that it has expanded its coverage to a full 195 countries, including many emerging markets. Intrigued by such tech trash talk, I figured it was time to give these guys the ultimate test: an extended business trip to India via Paris.

So I arranged for a demo aXcess MiFi Mobile Hotspot ($15 per day exclusive of other charges, including shipping, insurance and late fees).

My verdict? The aXcess is not cheap, but it is an outstanding business connectivity solution.

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