For Tre Italia, we designed WebCube, the first mobile broadband Wi-Fi router introduced to the European consumer market.
The project emerged from a strategic effort to consolidate insights, user needs, and market requirements gathered across multiple countries into a single product vision. At a time when data consumption was growing rapidly, we recognized an emerging need: bringing high-speed internet into the home without relying on a fixed-line connection.
WebCube introduced a groundbreaking solution. Its innovative detachable power base allowed users to place the router wherever reception was strongest while keeping it connected to power, significantly improving 3G signal quality and overall performance. A simple yet transformative idea that turned a technical constraint into a better user experience.
We also challenged the visual conventions of the category, designing a router that didn't look like a router. Compact, iconic, and approachable, WebCube was conceived as a desirable object that could naturally belong in the home rather than be hidden away.
WebCube became an international success, anticipating the shift toward hybrid fixed-mobile connectivity that has since become a defining model for home broadband around the world. It stands as a powerful example of how strategic insight, technology, and design can converge to create an entirely new product category.