Mobile Broadband

Mobile broadband vs fixed line broadband

Whether you're new to broadband or are considering ditching your fixed-line connection in favour of mobile broadband and no landline, our guide will help you decide what’s best for you. (updated 09/03/2010)

Mobile broadband pros and cons

Advantages:

• Take your broadband with you wherever you go. A mobile broadband connection is exactly that; mobile, which means that you can access your emails, check the sports results or keep yourself amused with the latest from YouTube no matter where you are.
• No more line rental. Millions of people continue to pay for line rental on a home phone that they rarely use, just so that they can get broadband at home. But with mobile broadband, there’s no need to pay line rental - saving you around £140 a year.
• Plug and play technology. All the software you need to connect to the internet is automatically installed when you first plug your modem into your laptop - no need to set it up or ring technical support.
• Flexible options available. Mobile broadband customers can take advantage of some really great pay as you go tariffs - from only £2 a day with T-Mobile Broadband (www.T-Mobile.co.uk) - or rolling one month packages from 3 Mobile Broadband (www.Three.co.uk).

Disadvantages:

• Low download limits. Even the most generous of mobile broadband tariffs only offer a download allowance of 15GB per month, and that will set you back £25 a month on a 24 month contract, while typical packages only offer around 3GB a month.
• High costs for exceeding your limit. With the exception of T-Mobile, all mobile broadband providers charge a fee when you exceed your download limit. This can vary from a couple of pence per MB to 10p per MB and costs can soon add up if you're not careful.
• Slower connection. Although suppliers might advertise speeds of up to 7.2Mb, mobile broadband speeds rarely exceed averages of 1Mb.
• Coverage. Although most of the UK is covered by the 3G network, coverage can be patchy in rural areas, or speeds significantly slower, so you should always check the coverage in your area before signing up.

Home broadband pros and cons

Advantages:

• Super cheap. The spread of local loop unbundling (LLU) has lead to ridiculously cheap broadband, and even “free broadband” from some providers including Sky Broadband (www.Sky.com).
• High download allowances. Generous fair usage policies and download allowances in the region of 40GB or even 80GB a month means that you can use the internet to its full potential - downloading and streaming your favourite movies and programmes and sending high resolution pictures to friends and family.
• Faster speeds. The majority of broadband providers are now offering speeds of up 20Mb broadband or 24Mb broadband, and actual speeds of around 4Mb are improving all the time.
• Consistent connection. Because your home broadband is connected to a fixed line, it will be more reliable than a mobile broadband connection that is being moved from one place to the next, and which might sometimes lose its connection to the 3G network.

Disadvantages:

• Fixed to one place. Standard home broadband packages use a fixed line and so you can only connect to the internet in your home.
• Line rental costs. Most home broadband users have to pay around £11.50 for their line rental, even if they only use it for their internet connection.
• Switching problems. Because of the various technologies now used to supply fixed line broadband - ADSL, partial and full LLU, cable - switching between one provider and another is no longer always as simple as getting a MAC code and customers occasionally end up with “tags on their line” or having to pay “cease and re-provide” costs.
• Technical difficulties. Although setting up your home broadband connection is very simple, some people - especially those not comfortable with computers - might struggle to set up a wireless router or internet security, and have to call technical support, which varies from free with some suppliers to as much as 50p a minute with others.

What’s the right choice for me?

The type of broadband connection that you should choose depends entirely on the way that you’ll use it. Think about your needs in terms of download allowances and connection speed as well as whether or not you need a portable internet connection when choosing the right package for you.

Click here to compare broadband packages, and find a provider that's right for you.

Click here to view a list of mobile broadband deals.