Introduction to mobile broadband
Mobile broadband is an overall term for services that allow you to access the Internet from a portable device, such as a Laptop Computer. This is as opposed to 'fixed line' broadband, which is the regular broadband delivered via a cable in your home or office: it's easiest to think of it in a similar way to a mobile phone versus your land line. You can get a high-speed Internet connection from any location, at any time, as long as you are within range of the network. Access is via a dedicated modem stick (or 'dongle') that plugs into one of your computer's USB ports, or via a specialised mobile phone.
Mobile broadband services typically aren't quite as fast as fixed line broadband, but are catching up rapidly: the maximum speeds on many fixed line services are around 8 Megabytes per second (Mbps), whereas most mobile ones are around 2Mbps to 3Mbps (which is plenty for most needs, see below) - although some providers now offer up to 7Mbps services. What this means is that, long-term, mobile broadband can provide a more flexible Internet service, without necessarily affecting your speed.
Who are main providers?
As with mobile phones, providers vary by territory. In almost all areas, mobile broadband provision comes from the major mobile phone providers: for example, in the UK, mobile broadband is provided by Vodafone, O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Three. All of these companies operate internationally, as do others such as AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.
Types of package
Mobile broadband packages can be broadly divided into two categories: pay monthly or 'pay as you go', in a similar way to mobile phones. 'Pay monthly' packages charge a fixed fee each month, in exchange for a fixed download limit (e.g. 5GB- see below). This can be a cheaper option if you know roughly how much you intend to use your service each month. Alternatively, if you are only a light user, or will only need the service at certain times of the year, pay as you go services allow you to buy a 'block' of usage in one go (e.g. 1GB) without having to commit to a monthly fee.
Broadband speed
Although mobile broadband is typically slower than that offered by conventional landline broadband, services are not usually offered below 1Mbps, and on average will be around 2Mbps to 3Mbps, meaning, for example, it should take mere seconds to download an MP3 track. Unlike fixed line services, mobile broadband operators do not usually offer different speed options within their service. Therefore, if speed is important to you, it's essential to check the provider's quoted top download times.
Download limit
Mobile broadband has followed the trend of fixed line broadband towards imposing a download limit on users. If you're on a monthly package, this means that any usage outside of your monthly limit will incur an extra fee. Pay as you go users can also be subject to a download limit, as you will usually buy your usage in 'blocks' of at least 1GB. Any further usage above this is then charged at a slightly higher rate, but is only charged per MB (1GB = 1024MB). The good news about this is that, if you do go over your download limit, you won't always have to fork out for a whole extra 'block' of usage.
Contract details
Pay as you go offers the simplest option for those who don't want to be tied down: you simply pay for your usage before you use it, and don't pay again until it runs out. Pay monthly packages usually include a contract of a fixed term, typically 12, 18 or 24 months. This means that you are contractually obliged to maintain the service for that time period, whether you use it or not: if you close your account, the network is entitled to request any fees remaining for the rest of the contact period. The benefit of pay monthly contracts is that they generally offer much cheaper Internet access than pay as you go, if you are intending to use it any more than occasionally. On top of that, as long as you stay within your download limit, you'll always know how much you'll be paying for your Internet access.
Choosing a provider
Consider what your likely download usage will be, how often you will need access, and how fast you will need your downloads to be. If you are choosing mobile broadband for business use, it is wise to check whether a provider has a special rate for business users or multiple purchases. It is also important to consider network availability: it may be worth paying slightly more to use a provider that has good coverage in your area.
An additional thing to bear in mind is set up costs. In exchange for committing you to a contract, many providers will provide a free modem stick/dongle with pay monthly packages. Pay monthly packages, on the other hand, usually require you to buy the modem yourself before you are able to use the service. A good way to compare pay monthly with pay as you go is to calculate the total cost of the service over the time that you will need it. It may even be cheaper to choose an 'expensive' package that has a higher download limit than you need if it includes a free modem or free set-up. Your existing computer may already be mobile broadband enabled, meaning you won't even need a modem stick/dongle. Better still, many providers now offer a free laptop computer on their more expensive packages. This can often work out cheaper than buying one separately, and provides a straightforward way of effectively 'spreading the cost' of the computer.
Summary
It is important to bear in mind exactly what your needs are when choosing mobile broadband. As prices, speeds, downloads limits and availability are constantly changing its a good idea to research thoroughly before committing to any particular option, especially as mobile broadband is increasingly becoming an attractive alternative to conventional broadband services.
Here at Broadband Genie we've been road-testing mobile broadband. Broadband Genie allows users to compare online.
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