What is Mobile Broadband?

Mobile broadband is the latest service offered by mobile phone companies.  It allows you to access the internet at broadband speeds, wirelessly, using the phone company’s 3G mobile phone network, rather than using a fixed telephone line (like your BT phone line).

You connect using a USB modem supplied by the phone company – these modems are really easy to use, just plug it in to your computer and click on the connect button.  This means you can take your laptop out and about, and get connected to the internet on the go.  You can send your emails from the park in summer, Skype from Starbucks, or watch YouTube on the train.

My broadband provider already gives me wireless internet, isn’t this the same?

Probably not.  Most broadband companies will give you a wireless router (like the BT Home Hub), free of charge.  This allows you to access the internet wirelessly when your in your house, but as soon as you leave the house you won’t be able to connect.  Mobile broadband allows you to connect anywhere you have a mobile phone signal.

Isn’t mobile broadband expensive?

Mobile broadband used to be unaffordable – just 2 years ago it would have cost you nearly £60 a month, therefore only large companies could justify it.  However, in the last year the competition has increased and the prices have fallen dramatically.  You can now buy mobile broadband for around £15 per month.  Given the recent aggressive pricing reductions, it’s unlikely that prices will fall much further than this.

One thing you must watch out for is ‘out of bundle’ / overage charges.  Most companies will give you a ‘bundle’ of free data – if you stay within your usage limit you won’t get charged extra.  However, if you go outside of this bundle you could face a large bill – O2 charge 20p per MB (that’s over £200 per GB), Three charge 10p per MB (that’s over £100 per GB), Vodafone charge £15 per GB.  O2 and T-Mobile offer fair usage policies where you’re not automatically charged if you go over, but you will be asked to move to a more expensive price plan.

I’ve heard mobile broadband is slow and unreliable, is this true?

Mobile broadband isn’t as fast as fixed line broadband that you buy from a company like BT, so if you’re downloading lots of movies every month you’re probably better sticking with fixed line broadband.  However, if you’re a lite to medium internet user you’ll probably find the speed of mobile broadband more than adequate.  You can still surf the web, download emails, download music and watch YouTube – you can even use BBC’s iPlayer with mobile broadband.

The reliability of mobile broadband has greatly improved over the last couple of years, however the speed can fluctuate more than fixed line broadband.  The biggest limiting factor is mobile broadband coverage.  In order to get mobile broadband you need to be in an area of 3G coverage – the coverage you receive at your location will depend on which mobile phone company you choose.  It’s worth checking on the mobile phone company’s website before you sign up for mobile broadband.  For more information about coverage and speed, check out this post on improving your mobile broadband speed.

What should I know before buying mobile broadband?

Is there coverage where I’m planning on connecting?
Browse our operator pages above to find links to coverage maps

How much data will I use?
Mobile broadband is sold with a monthly ‘bundle’ of data, ranging from 1GB to 15GB per month.

What length of contract am I willing to agree to?
The longer the contract period, the better deal you’ll get

Am I planning on taking my modem abroad?
If so, you find that some companies offer better roaming deals.