A new Rockaway Beach business site partnered with Westroads Investments LLC to host an outdoor mobile hotspot strategically placed near the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (OCSR). The OCSR runs between Garibaldi and Rockaway Beach, with special excursions to Wheeler, the Nehalem River, and the Salmonberry River canyon — drawing over 30,000 riders annually.
Mobile Network Operators including AT&T and Google Fi relied on the outdoor mobile hotspot’s cellular data offloading features, boosting coverage for passengers as they boarded and disembarked.
Even though the hotspot connected with riders only for a short time during loading and unloading, the site served more than 650 unique users in its first months. This translated into tangible rewards:
$250 in June
$175 in July
$125 in August
These results demonstrate that even brief, high-volume customer interactions can generate steady passive income while improving the digital experience for visitors. These revenues more than covered the business site’s cost of internet without impacting their own connectivity.
By hosting a hotspot, the business not only unlocked a new revenue stream but also reduce network congestion resulting in stronger connectivity for the local community and the thousands of tourists who visit each year.
