Mobile broadband or broadband on the move is made possible by 3G (third generation) mobile phone services. 3G services have been around for a few years now and have allowed mobile phone users with 3G handsets to access internet pages and send emails etc. on the move.
Whats different about “Mobile broadband” is that although it uses the same 3G mobile phone technology it is especially designed for use in laptops / pc’s etc where a mobile internet connection is required. A data card or a USB dongle is used to allow the laptop / computer access to the mobile phones 3G network allowing full broadband access just like you would have at home on the move without the need for a fixed wired connection. At present mobile broadband which uses mobile phone networks HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) enables mobile users to download data at speeds of up to 3.4 Mbit/s.
At present the top download speeds for mobile broadband are from vodafone at 7.2Mbps and 3 Mobile with 2.8Mbps broadband services , in reality though the actual speeds achievable just like home broadband rarely reach such heights , you should check the coverage area for you chosen provider to ensure you can get a good signal.
With more and more mobile broadband services becoming available things can be a little confusing when you are trying to decide which package to go for, here is a few things to look out for when choosing you mobile broadband service
Set Up - Cost
the setup cost for a mobile broadband service is usually just the price of the USB dongle Modem or data card this varies from provider to provider and usually costs less the higher the monthly tariff you select and on some higher packages it can be free
Contract Length
Mobile Broadband is available as a Pay as You Go or minimum contract term options usually either fixed for 12 or 24 months. You will usually find that there is additional incentives for signing up to a contract such as cheaper / free modem or higher monthly download limits , but remember the mobile broadband market is rapidly evolving and it might not be wise to tie yourself in to a lengthly contract
Download Limits
Just like normal home adsl broadband , mobile broadband package have monthly download limits and there is normally an excess bandwidth charge for every MB or GB over your agreed bundle , The download limits on mobile broadband are considerably lower compared to top end home adsl packages so be careful when choosing. Also it is worth noting that some providers count both upload and download bandwidth in their monthly bandwidth cap - if you are looking for a rough guide of how much bandwidth you can try our bandwidth calculator
Speed
Mobile broadband speeds at the time of writing vary from 1.8Mbps to 7.2Mbps from provider to provider , it is worth noting however that similarly to “up to 8Mbps” home broadband these speed are very rarely reached and are an absolute maximum achievable in ideal conditions. 1.8Mbps should be adequate for most users and should be similar in performance to standard adsl connections
Coverage
As mobile broadband is powered by the 3G mobile phone networks it is important that you check each providers network coverage map to ensure that in main areas you are going to be using the mobile connection you will be able to get a good quality signal.
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