Signing up to an 18 month mobile broadband contract can get you free, or cheaper, hardware so that you won’t have to fork out a bundle for a dongle or USB modem stick - and might even get you a discount on your monthly payments.
3
3 (www.Three.co.uk) offers all existing customers taking out an 18 month mobile broadband contract a 50 per cent discount - so you could get online no matter where you are, from as little as £5 a month.
You’ll also get a free dongle or USB modem stick on any package; Broadband Lite, Broadband Plus or Broadband Max.
£25 (existing customers get a 50 per cent discount)
Free USB modem stick or dongle
T-Mobile
T-Mobile (www.T-Mobile.co.uk) doesn’t offer any 18 month mobile broadband contracts, its Web’n’Walk Plus and Web’n’Walk Max tariffs are only available for 12 or 24 months.
Vodafone
18 month Vodafone (www.Vodafone.co.uk) customers have a choice of either its Mobile Broadband 3GB or its Mobile Broadband 5GB plans, but most will have to pay for their hardware.
Only Mobile Broadband 5GB customers, on an 18 month plan, willing to take Vodafone’s slowest modem - with a top theoretical speed of 3.6Mb - will get it for free. All other customers, or Mobile Broadband 5GB customers wanting the faster 7.2Mb dongle or USB modem stick will have to pay for their hardware.
As an 18 month customer you’ll have to pay £15 for a 3.6Mb dongle on the Mobile Broadband 3GB plan or £69 for the faster 7.2Mb dongle or USB modem stick. Mobile Broadband 3GB will get the slower 3.6Mb dongle for free but will have to pay £19 for the faster model or the USB modem stick.
7.2Mb - though currently only in London and major UK airports
5GB
£15 per additional GB
£25
Free 3.6Mb dongle or £19 for a 7.2Mb dongle or USB modem stick
O2
O2's (www.O2.co.uk) recently launched mobile broadband packages - which are currently only available to existing O2 mobile phone or home broadband customers - come in either a one month package or as an 18 month plan.
No other contract lengths are available and all customers signing up for 18 months get a free USB modem stick.
£20, rising to £30 if mobile phone or home broadband are disconnected or minimum top-up requirements are not met
Free USB modem stick
Orange
Orange (www.Orange.co.uk) is also a relative newcomer to the mobile broadband market, and currently only offers one package - an 18 month contract for £15 a month with a 3GB download allowance.
All customers joining Orange mobile broadband get a free USB modem stick.
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