Mobile Broadband

Mobile broadband abroad

A Vodafone mobile phone customer, on a package with “unlimited” downloads recently came home to a bill of more than £11,000 after his wife downloaded four episodes of Friends. She had started downloading the programmes in the UK but when her husband travelled to Germany for business the files continued to download at a cost of £4.25 per MB.

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Although this is an extreme case - and happened to a mobile phone customer, not a mobile broadband user - roaming charges are very high across all mobile broadband networks and you have to be very careful in order to avoid extortionately high bills waiting on the mat when you get home.

Mobile broadband travel tariffs

Vodafone's (www.Vodafone.co.uk) two business packages both come with UK fair usage policies, and inclusive - but set - allowances for use either in Europe or worldwide.

The Mobile Broadband Euro Travel package comes with a 5GB UK fair usage limit and a set allowance of 200MB to be used in Europe. After you have exceeded that limit or if you use your mobile broadband connection outside of Europe you’ll be charged an additional £4.25 per MB.

The Mobile Broadband Business Travel also has 5GB UK fair usage limit and a set allowance of 200MB to be used abroad, though this can be used in any country. But again you’ll be charged an additional £4.25 per MB over this amount.

However, these packages cost £60 and £95 a month respectively, and you could well be better off just going to a local internet café or using the business centre in your hotel.

Fair usage allowances don’t apply

Unless you have a package specifically designed for use abroad like the ones above, you’ll have to pay high roaming fees for every MB downloaded abroad.

Roaming costs will not only vary by provider, but will also change depending on what part of the world you’re visiting, so make sure that you check with your provider before you go so that you know exactly what it will cost you.

Monitor your mobile broadband usage

It’s a good idea to install a download monitor to track your usage so that you will know what to expect when you open your bill at the end of the month.

Use the free BroadbandChoices.co.uk Broadband Download Monitor to keep an eye on your downloads in the UK and abroad, and even set an alarm to alert you when you near your usage limit.

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