Mobile broadband Guide

10 reasons to get mobile broadband

By Seamour Rathore seamour@consumerchoices.co.uk

There are many reasons why you might want mobile broadband - it’s getting cheaper, coverage is improving, and, of course, it’s the ultimate solution to being online wherever you are. (12/01/10)

Since 2007, mobile broadband has been making inroads into the UK broadband market. Dongle sales are running at around a quarter of a million every month in the UK. And around three million UK homes (12%) have a mobile broadband connection, according to communications regulator Ofcom. Mobile broadband is getting cheaper all the time

And at just £5 a month for 500MB from Orange Mobile Broadband (www.Orange.co.uk) - the UK’s cheapest contract - it’s affordable for all.

1. You can use it anywhere

Mobile broadband works all over the UK. As long as you have your laptop and dongle you are free to connect to the internet wherever you are.

However, you can only get online as long as you have a mobile phone signal and many rural areas aren't covered by mobile broadband. So it's a good idea to check with the main mobile broadband providers to make sure your service will work where you live.

All about mobile broadband coverage.

2. You don’t need a landline

Renting? Always on the move? Then mobile broadband is for you.

With fixed-line home broadband you get the service via your home phone line - or cable connection if you're a Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com) customer - but mobile broadband connects to the internet via the mobile phone network. By using a mobile phone and mobile broadband, you’ll have a full communications service without the need to pay for additional home phone and broadband.

This could save you over £135 a year in landline costs alone.

3. You can get a free laptop

Sort of. Many providers are offering long - often 24-month - mobile broadband contracts which spread the cost of the laptop as part of your monthly bill - so there’s no upfront cost for a laptop.

You just pay a higher monthly fee for your mobile broadband, essentially paying for your laptop over the course of your contract.

Check out the latest mobile broadband plus laptop deals.

4. You can get free wifi minutes

Why do you need wifi, if you’ve got mobile broadband? Well, wifi is perfect if you want to do a bit of downloading or even streaming a programme from the BBC iPlayer without eating into your mobile broadband download allowance.

Mobile broadband download allowances are generally lower than fixed-line ones, so they’re not great for anything involving lots of data - hence the importance of free wifi minutes. Check out Three Mobile Broadband (www.Three.co.uk) and T-Mobile Mobile Broadband (www.T-Mobile.co.uk) for the best mobile broadband deals with free wifi minutes.

5. You can share it

Got a partner or friend you want to share your dongle with? Lend them your USB modem stick and they’ll be eternally grateful, as well as being able to log on wherever they want.

6. You can do a deal

You can get some of the best mobile broadband deals from your current mobile phone provider. They’re keen to get you signed up, so you should be able to get a special deal as an existing customer.

Orange has the cheapest mobile broadband deal on the market at £5 a month on an 18-month contract, but it’s only available to Orange mobile phone customers and has a tiny download allowance. Even so, the contract is perfect for people who just want to use mobile broadband occasionally.

In some cases, your home broadband provider, such as Virgin Media or O2 Broadband (www.O2.co.uk) may offer you a discounted mobile broadband package. This is perfect if you want both fixed-line and mobile broadband.

7. Try a low-cost option

Occasional mobile broadband users can take advantage of pay as you go tariffs - from only £2 a day with T-Mobile and O2 Mobile Broadband (www.O2.co.uk), but you’ll need to buy a dongle for around £20.

Other providers, such as Vodafone Mobile Broadband (www.Vodafone.co.uk) also offer pay as you go mobile broadband options at £15 per 1GB.

Check out the latest pay as you go mobile broadband deals.

8. It's easy to use

Mobile broadband is great for people who blanch at the idea of anything to do with technology. It’s a simple plug and play device - as easy as putting a plug in a socket.

9. Higher download allowances

Mobile broadband download limits have long been a bugbear for many - not least those who’ve received “shock bills” for downloading TV programmes using mobile broadband when abroad.

Broadbandchoices.co.uk doesn't recommend you use your mobile broadband abroad due to high data roaming charges. But, several providers now offer more generous UK allowances. T-Mobile offers “unlimited broadband” downloads subject to a fair usage policy, and Orange has introduced unlimited overnight downloads between midnight and 9am. Its Early Bird tariffs start at just £13 a month for unlimited overnight downloads on a 12-month contract and a 1GB monthly allowance to use during peak times.

10. Speeds are improving

Vodafone already offers top theoretical speeds of 14.4Mb, and the onward march of new technology means that mobile broadband could get much quicker with the introduction of next-generation technology - dubbed 4G mobile broadband or LTE (long-term evolution) - which O2 began trialling at the end of 2009.

In the meantime, average mobile broadband speeds are slower than average fixed-line broadband speeds - but still provide enough juice for web-surfing, emailing and watching videos on YouTube.

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