Mobile Broadband Guide

Business mobile broadband

If you’re a business user and want to take the internet with you to meetings, on business trips or just to pass the time on long train journeys, there are some great business mobile broadband deals available.

All mobile broadband suppliers offer business versions of their packages, with higher download allowances, better hardware or cheaper prices than normal consumer tariffs.

O2 business mobile broadband

O2 (www.businessshop.o2.co.uk) offers a dedicated business mobile broadband package for SMEs and office users: it comes with a free mobile dongle, access to over 6,100 Wi-Fi hotspots in the UK (with The Cloud), and a 3GB download limit. O2's business mobile broadband plans are available under different contract lengths, from 30 days to 18 and 24 months.

3 (Three) mobile broadband

Three (www.Three.co.uk) offers its three standard mobile broadband packages, one pay as you go “casual” package, and one specific business package. However, for a limited time, business customers can get 50 per cent off Three’s standard packages, bringing its cheapest business tariff down to just £4.26 per month.

Orange business mobile broadband

Orange (www.Orange.co.uk) offers four different mobile broadband packages for its business customers; Lite, 9 to 5, 5 to 9 and Unlimited.

Its Lite package gives you 1GB a month and comes with a 24 month contract, while its 9 to 5 option gives you “unlimited” downloads on weekdays between 9am and 5pm plus a 1GB allowance for other times. The 5 to 9 plan offers “unlimited” downloads between 5pm and 9am, and at weekends, plus an extra 1GB a month. Both tariffs come with a 24 month contract.

Finally, the Unlimited plan offers a choice of either an 18 month or a 24 month contract. 18 month customers get “unlimited” downloads, while those willing to sign a 24 month contract also get a 5MB European data roaming allowance.

All “unlimited” allowances are subject to a 10GB fair usage policy. This means that while you might not be charged for exceeding your limit, your connection might be slowed down if you download too much.

T-Mobile mobile broadband

T-Mobile (www.T-Mobile.co.uk) offers its two standard mobile broadband plans, on both 12 and 24 month contracts and customers willing to sign longer tariffs get a reduced monthly cost. Both USB modems and “future proof” USB modem sticks are available on both plans. Customers also get inclusive WiFi HotSpot access.

Vodafone business mobile broadband

Vodafone (www.Vodafone.co.uk) offers up to four business packages to choose from, each with a different contract length. The shortest plan is a flexible 30 day contract, with longer term contracts available over 12, 18 and 24 months. Business users should consider Vodafone's USB Modem Stick Pro: the dongle delivers download speeds up to 7.2Mbps and upload speeds 22 times faster than standard 3G.

What’s the best mobile broadband plan for my business?

Think carefully about your budget and the way that you’ll need to use your mobile broadband package. You want the best value tariff, but also one that will meet your needs so that you don’t end up with big bills for exceeding your download limit.

And remember, the connection will work in any laptop, so you don’t need to get a package to “share” unless you want lots of people to use it at the same time.

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Click here to view a list of Mobile Broadband UK packages