Need broadband? Ready to switch? Get fair, unbiased advice in a language you understand so you make the right choice.
Pay monthly mobile broadband
If you know that you need regular mobile broadband access then a pay monthly package could offer the best value for money.
With a range of headline rates, download limits and contract lengths there’s loads to choose from so you’re bound to find the perfect UK mobile broadband deal for you.
But with so many great offers on the market, how do you decide which provider and which package to sign up to?
Contract length
Mobile broadband providers offer a range of contract lengths, from pay-as-you-go and rolling month by month contracts to standard 12, 18 and 24 month contracts.
The best deals invariably go to new customers signing up for the longest period of time, and they will be able to get cheaper and better USB modems and sticks with Three (www.Three.co.uk) and Vodafone (www.Vodafone.co.uk) or a discount on their monthly payments with T-Mobile (www.T-Mobile.co.uk).
Going for the longest contract in order to get a better deal isn’t always the best option though. The mobile broadband market is changing fast, with new entrants and new deals pushing prices down and data limits up all the time and if you tie yourself into a long two year package you’ll miss out on some great deals while you wait for your dated contract to end.
Hardware
Vodafone currently has the best mobile broadband hardware, designed for use on its 7.2Mb network. However, customers on its shortest, 30 day and 12 month contracts cannot get the newer, faster USB modem stick, only the standard USB dongle. Data cards and mobile broadband wireless routers are also available from Vodafone. The length of your contract not only determines what hardware is available to you, it also affects how much you’ll have to pay for it.
Three customers also have to pay different amounts for their USB modems depending on the length of their contract, while both USB modems and USB modem sticks are free for T-Mobile customers.
Download limits
Each provider and each pay monthly package offers a different download limit, ranging from 1GB or 3GB with Orange, 1GB, 3GB and 7GB with Three, 3GB, 10GB with T-Mobile and 3GB and 5GB with Vodafone.
Once you’ve thought about how much data you’ll be downloading each month, you’ll need to decide on whether or no you want to go for a package with a set download limit where you’re automatically charged for any excess, or one with a fair usage policy.
All of Three’s contract packages have set download limits and once you exceed them you’ll be charged 10p per additional MB that you use.
Two of Vodafone’s pay monthly packages also have set download limits - the Mobile Broadband 3GB and the Mobile Broadband 5GB. Once you exceed your limit on these packages you’ll be charged £15 per additional GB that you use.
On the other hand, T-Mobile applies a fair usage policy with a limit of either 3GB or 10GB while Orange applies a 3GB UK fair usage limit. You won’t be charged as soon as you exceed this, but if you do so regularly you’ll be asked to curb your usage, have your connection speed throttled or be asked to pay more each month to cover your usage. Vodafone’s two Travel packages also carry fair usage policies, with a UK limit of 5GB each and a 200MB limit for use either in Europe of worldwide depending on your package.
Connection speed
At the moment, the fastest mobile broadband speed is offered by Vodafone, with a top speed of 7.2Mb. Orange, T-Mobile and Three all currently only offer a top speed of 2.8Mb, but this is set to be increased to 7.2Mb, while Vodafone is also looking to increase its speed and stay ahead of the pack.
However, it’s important to remember that as with fixed line broadband connections, you will rarely, if ever, get the top advertised speed.
Coverage
Network coverage in your area will also affect which provider you choose. Although coverage across the UK is currently around 90 per cent, the mobile broadband boom this year means that providers are investing more money, and coverage should reach 98 per cent by the end of the year.
However, each provider’s network is different, and the area you live in might have great coverage from Vodafone but be patchy on T-Mobile, for example.
You can check coverage on your chosen provider’s website or in a store before signing up.
Which package is right for me?
Everyone is different in the way that they’ll use their mobile broadband connection, but if you think about your needs and consider all of the options above, you’ll be able to find the right package for you.
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