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Mobile broadband takes
the internet everywhere
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Half of Brits want internet outside
Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk
Almost half of the UK would like to be able to use the internet wherever they are according to new research from T-Mobile (09-07-08).
The pub, the park, gardens and the beach were the destinations of choice in the YouGov survey on behalf of mobile phone and mobile broadband provider T-Mobile (www.T-Mobile.co.uk).
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"Mobile broadband has reached a tipping point and is now hitting the mainstream"
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While the research found that a staggering 79 per cent of office workers get less than an hour of fresh air a day, 44 per cent wanted to take their broadband to the back garden, 32 per cent wanted to log on abroad and eight per cent wanted to take it to the pub.
Richard Warmsley, head of internet and entertainment services at T-Mobile, said: “Mobile broadband has reached a tipping point and is now hitting the mainstream. Last year our research showed that only three per cent of office workers wanted to work from the beach: one year on, the latest figures show that a staggering 44 per cent of us now want to use the internet on the go, and an incredible 21 per cent would like to use it at the beach.
“And 46 per cent say they get online to update their social networks on the move - so it’s not just work leaving the building. This signals a huge shift in consumer opinion around broadband services.”
One in four new T-Mobile customers is now a mobile broadband customer according to the company, which has recently launched a promotion on its Mobile Broadband Plus 24-month tariff until 1 October; offering a £5 discount for the first three months, reducing the monthly charge to just £10.
It has also reduced roaming rates by 80 per cent, to £1.50 per MB, making it cheaper to use the net on holiday.
However, Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, warned that mobile broadband users still have to be careful about the amount that they download.
“Although T-Mobile’s packages have a fair usage policy attached - so you won’t automatically be charged for exceeding your limit - allowances are either 3GB or 10GB a month, so you shouldn’t go downloading every missed episode of Eastenders when you get back from your week abroad.
“And while mobile broadband providers might have recently reduced their roaming rates in line with new EU legislation, £1.50 per MB could still land you a very big bill at the end of the month,” he warned.
Related article - Hidden costs of mobile broadband
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