Mobile phone provider Vodafone (www.vodafone.com/mobile-broadband) offers the UK’s fastest mobile broadband connections, with speeds of up to 7.2Mb, and as the mobile broadband market gets set to explode, Vodafone has also reduced its costs and added more packages, making mobile broadband more accessible than ever.
Vodafone offers five different pay-monthly packages, including a 30-day contract. Prices start from only £15 a month and go up to £95 a month for its ultimate business package.
Monthly costs remain the same no matter how long you sign up for, but whether or not you take out a 12, 18 or 24 month contract will affect the cost of your modem.
Customers signing up to the Mobile Broadband 3GB package will have to pay £49, £29 or nothing for the slower 3.6Mb dongle depending on the length of their contract. Or if they want the faster 7.2Mb dongle or USB modem stick, they can be bought for £39 on the 24 month package, £69 on the 18 month package or £99 on a 12 month contract.
Mobile Broadband 3GB then costs £15 a month with a set 3GB download limit. Additional data costs £15 per GB.
The Mobile Broadband 3GB 30 Day contract has the same usage limit but costs £20 a month and £49 for the dongle (only the 3.6Mb model is available on this package).
The new Mobile Broadband 5GB package costs £25 a month with a set download limit of 5GB and an additional data cost of £15 per GB. The 3.6Mb dongle is free on either an 18 or 24 month contract or £19 on a 12 month contract. The faster model and the USB modem sticks are also free on the 24 month contract but cost £19 on the 18 month contracts or £59 for 12 month contract customers.
7.2Mb modems are also free on 24 month contracts on the new Mobile Broadband Euro Travel business package, which comes with unlimited downloads in the UK (a 5GB fair usage policy applies) and 200MB to use in Europe. The package costs £60 a month. 18 month contract customers will be charged £49 for their modem while 12 month contract customers will be charged £99.
Mobile Broadband Business Travel customers, who pay £95 a month for their mobile broadband will have unlimited UK downloads (a 5GB fair usage policy applies) and 200MB to use anywhere else in the world. 7.2Mb modems are free for 24 month customers, £49 for 18 month contract customers and £99 for 12 month customers.
Vodafone also offers a pay-as-you-go option for customers who only need occasional mobile broadband access. Mobile Broadband 24 costs £8.50 a day, once you have bought your modem and has a 500MB fair usage download limit per 24-hours.
What is Vodafone’s coverage like?
Vodafone has the fastest mobile broadband network in the UK with speeds of up to 7.2Mb, but this is actually a theoretical maximum and is still only available in London and major UK airports.
Vodafone is working to increase this “super-fast” coverage though and isn’t stopping there; it will soon begin testing super-fast mobile broadband speeds of up to 28.8Mb using the latest High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technology.
However, you should still check the coverage in your area before signing a lengthy contract. You can do this online at Vodafone.co.uk or in a Vodafone store.
Vodafone hardware
Vodafone offers the latest in mobile broadband modems and even a router to share your connection.
As well as the usual USB modem and USB modem stick - both of which are capable of delivering speeds of up to 7.2Mb. The USB modem and stick both come with easy “plug and play” technology and you also have the option of an ExpressCard with an adaptor for PC card slots.
Vodafone also offers business users a 3G broadband Wireless Router - the perfect alternative to a fixed line connection, allowing you to connect up to five computers at a time, either wirelessly or with cables.
Is it right for me?
Although mobile broadband offers amazing freedom and is great for anyone who doesn’t want to pay around £11 a month for line rental or have a fixed-line broadband service, the cost of downloading is still too high for mobile broadband to really replace home broadband services.
However, Vodafone is a great choice for anyone looking into mobile broadband. As well as offering the fastest mobile broadband speeds in the UK, Vodafone offers a wide selection of packages with a variety of set download limits and fair usage policies - so it seems that there’s something for everyone. It also offers the best hardware selection on the market.
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