Mobile Boadband

Mobile broadband coverage

Updated: Tuesday 31 January, 2012

By Editorial - news@consumerchoices.co.uk

Mobile broadband coverage is as important as price and speed when choosing between networks. Each provider allows you to check mobile broadband availability for your postcode. Get the inside scope with our guide to mobile broadband coverage.

Check coverage and speeds for your postcode:

www.Three.co.uk/Coverage
www.T-Mobile.co.uk/Street-Check
www.Vodafone.co.uk/Coverage-Check
www.Orange.co.uk/Coverage
www.VirginMedia.com/Coverage-Checker
www.O2.co.uk/Coverage

Mobile broadband coverage

The coverage you get largely depends on two things; the provider you’re with and where you live - but even if you have the latest modem and live in a “turbo-charged” area you still won’t get the top advertised speed; distance from your nearest mobile mast, trees and other buildings between you and the mast, as well as the number of users on the network all affect the speed you get.

Vodafone currently offers the UK’s fastest theoretical maximum mobile broadband speed at up to 14.4Mb in big cities like London, Birmingham and Liverpool. However, when it upgraded speeds, it said that “customers can expect to see typical speeds of anything between 1Mb and 4Mb with a practical maximum speed of 10.8Mb”.

Mobile broadband maximum speeds are usually advertised as 3.6Mb or 4.5Mb. But research by analysts Epitiro (2009) showed that actual download speeds are less than 1Mb.

All mobile broadband providers can give you a detailed breakdown of mobile broadband coverage by individual postcode if you visit their website or go into a store.

If you sign up to a mobile broadband package only to find that the coverage in your home is too poor to be of use, providers do offer a money back guarantee, ranging from 14 days to a month. If you get in touch with your mobile broadband provider and return your dongle within the specified time, you should be able to cancel your contract without incurring any penalties.

Video: How to check mobile broadband coverage before you buy

3 mobile broadband coverage

3 Mobile Broadband (www.Three.co.uk) offers a theoretical top speed of 3.6Mb, covering more than 90% of the UK’s population - a figure that’s set to rise to more than 98% by the end of 2010, when 3 will also be upgrading to speeds of up to 7.2Mb.

According to 3, “an average speed of 1Mb or 1.5Mb lets you download a 3-4 minute music track in 30 seconds or less. In techie terms”.

To get an idea of 3’s coverage in your area, run a postcode search at www.Three.co.uk/Coverage.

Orange mobile broadband coverage

Orange Mobile Broadband (www.Orange.co.uk) currently covers more than 90% of the UK with its 3G mobile broadband network, with a top speed of up to 7.2Mb in some areas, though most locations can reach a maximum of 3.6Mb.

It offers a range of packages, with pay as you go mobile broadband, rolling one-month mobile broadband contracts as well as longer contracts and even a choice of plans with free Happy Hour downloads or even “unlimited” downloads, subject to a fair usage policy.

Check Orange mobile broadband availability for your postcode at www.Orange.co.uk/Coverage, or compare Orange mobile broadband packages and speeds with our guide to Orange 3G network coverage.

T-Mobile mobile broadband coverage

T-Mobile mobile broadband (www.T-Mobile.co.uk) currently covers more than 90% of the UK - set to increase to more than 98% by the end of 2010.

T-Mobile advertises its top speed at a maximum of 7.2Mb - with superfast broadband uploads at up to 2Mb. Though as with all providers, you will be unlikely to reach this top speed.

More details and a dedicated postcode checker can be found at www.T-Mobile.co.uk/Street-Check.

Vodafone mobile broadband coverage

Vodafone Broadband (www.Vodafone.co.uk) offers the UK’s fastest mobile broadband speeds, with a maximum of 14.4Mb in some large city centres. However, it does acknowledge that customers are only likely to get between 1Mb and 4Mb. Areas not yet upgraded to its fastest speeds are on a maximum of up to 7.2Mb.

Vodafone won the Best Consumer Mobile Broadband award at the 2009 ISPA awards. Judges looked at the speed and reliability of Vodafone's network, as well as value for money.

Visit www.Vodafone.co.uk/Coverage to check Vodafone coverage in your street.

O2 mobile broadband coverage

O2 Mobile Broadband (www.O2.co.uk) covers 80% of the UK population and offers a top speed of up to 3.6Mb.

All O2 mobile broadband customers get free, unlimited access to 7,500 wireless hotspots throughout the UK so that you can surf the net at high speeds without using up your monthly 1GB or 3GB allowance. Your USB modem stick will automatically choose the fastest available network - GPRS, EDGE, 3G or HSDPA - or one of The Cloud hotspots.

More details of O2’s mobile broadband coverage can be found on the O2 website, or by visiting www.O2.co.uk/Postcode-Checker to run a search on your own postcode.

Virgin Media mobile broadband coverage

Virgin Media Mobile Broadband (www.VirginMedia.com) has 85% coverage across the UK, with speeds of up to 7.2Mb. It offers two packages, with a 1GB or 3GB allowance as well as a choice of either a rolling one month contract or a longer 18 month plan.

Visit www.VirginMedia.com/Coverage-Checker to check Virgin coverage in your street.

Read more about Virgin Media mobile broadband coverage.

Mobile broadband coverage checkers

Mobile broadband checkers are available from all major networks. They will give you a good idea of signal strength and speeds in your area. Importantly, results shown will usually be for outdoor coverage alone - though some ISPs, like Vodafone and O2 do claim to offer very detailed results that will show you what your coverage is like in your home. The coverage you are likely to receive indoors will depend on your distance from the mast, the thickness of your walls and the number of people online in your area.

Click here to compare mobile broadband packages