Broadband News

Three joins the free laptop giveaway

(09-01-08) - Three Mobile Broadband customers can now get a free laptop, continuing the giveaway trend started last year.

Customers who sign an 18-month contract at the Carphone Warehouse for the Complete Mobile Broadband Package at £35 a month will be able to nab themselves the same Dell Inspirion laptop offered to AOL (www.AOL.co.uk) Wireless-Plus customers.

As well as the free laptop, customers will get a 3 mobile broadband modem dongle, 3GB of data downloads and 200 texts each month, and a free visit from the wireless set up Geek Squad. Additional data can be bought for 10p per Mb.

And although the £35 a month price tag does seem steep, signing up for mobile broadband really does set the internet free and you’ll be able to log on, using your free laptop, from almost anywhere in the country, without having to pay extra to use coffee-shop WiFi, or dash into an internet café on route to that important meeting.

The 3 (www.Three.co.uk) mobile broadband network currently covers an impressive 85 per cent of the UK, and you can check which areas offer turbo-charged connections of up to 3.6Mb, on the 3 website.

Orange (www.Orange.co.uk) first started giving away free laptops with mammoth two-year contracts, and AOL took it to the next level, with higher spec laptops and even Sony PlayStation 3s now being given away.

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “Mobile broadband is the next generation of wireless internet use. No longer constrained by ethernet cables around the home, you can now set yourself free from the phone line and take your broadband wherever you want to go.

“Although a free laptop with a broadband package is not a new concept,” he went on, “a laptop with mobile broadband really does offer the ‘complete package’ - and bypasses BT line rental costs all together.

“However, despite widespread coverage, certain rural areas are patchy and customers should check their local coverage before committing to a long contract,” he advised.

Customers might also want to consider the cheaper £20 a month mobile broadband deal from T-Mobile ( http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/) where they can make a one-off payment of £199 for the Dell Inspirion laptop, though this package does come with a longer 24-month contract.

Tips on choosing a Cheap Broadband Package.

Comments