Mobile Broadband

Free laptop offers

Loads of mobile broadband providers offer a “free” laptop as part of their packages, which can help you get online without having to pay out for a new PC in one go (21/10/2009).

• 3 Mobile free laptop
• O2 free laptop
• Orange free laptop
• T-Mobile free laptop
• Tesco free laptop
• Virgin Media free laptop
• Vodafone free laptop

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said “Free laptop deals vary in the value that they provide - some laptops would be cheaper to buy outright than get ‘free’ with a mobile broadband package, while others can save you around £40 on the total cost over two years.

“However, many people find it easier to spread the cost of a new laptop over 18 or 24 months, even if it will cost them a bit extra in the long run. As with all mobile broadband packages, customers should keep an eye on their download allowances as additional data can be costly,” he warned.

3 Mobile free laptop

3 Mobile has the most extensive range of free laptops available in the UK, including Acer laptops, Compaq laptops, Samsung laptops and Toshiba laptops.

3 mobile broadband (www.Three.co.uk) offers a massive choice of 7 different laptops and netbooks on a range of packages, with 1GB, 5GB or 15GB download allowances - a very generous allowance for a mobile broadband package.

Free laptop with broadband deals are available on either 18 or 24 month contracts, with varying headline rates depending on the laptop you choose, the data allowance you want and the length of the contract you sign.

All of 3’s free laptop mobile broadband packages come with speeds of up to 3.6Mb, a 1GB, 5GB or 15GB monthly download allowance and a free mobile dongle or mobile USB modem stick. Additional usage costs 10p per MB.

O2 free laptop

Although O2 Mobile Broadband (www.O2.com) only offers one “free” laptop, it does also offer two other laptop deals costing £48.93 or £78.29 for the top spec models on top of your monthly mobile broadband subscription.

O2’s laptops come with a choice of two tariffs offering speeds of up to 3.6Mb and either a 3GB monthly download allowance or a 10GB allowance plus unlimited wifi on both plans. Unlike other providers, the monthly headline rate you pay for your mobile broadband plan remains the same no matter which laptop you choose.

All packages are subject to a 24 month contract and excess data is charged at 19.6p per MB so you need to be careful never to exceed your allowance.

Orange free laptop

Orange Mobile Broadband (www.Orange.co.uk) currently currently offers two different netbooks to customers signing up to its 24 month mobile broadband packages. Depending on the tariff you sign up to, laptops are either free or require a small upfront payment.

Orange’s Asus 1005HGO laptop comes with built-in mobile broadband so you won’t even need a dongle, while its Compaq CQ61 will come with a free USB modem stick.

While each laptop deal comes with a 24 month contract, you can still choose from one of its three animal plans; Racoon, Dolphin or Panther depending on whether you're a light, medium or heavy mobile broadband user.

All of Orange’s laptop deals come with download speeds of up to 3.6Mb, and a choice of different download allowances. Data outside of your download allowance costs 2p per Mb.

Call Orange on 0800 072 4137

T-Mobile free laptop

T-Mobile no longer offers laptops as part of its product range.

Tesco free laptop

Tesco Broadband (www.Tesco.net) doesn’t actually offer mobile broadband packages over a network of its own. However the supermarket giant does sell packages from other suppliers, with a massive selection of over 30 free laptops and netbooks.

See the Tesco website or in selected Tesco Phone Shops for more details.

Virgin Media free laptop

Virgin Media Mobile Broadband (www.Virginmedia.com) offers a free laptop with some of its packages. However, the portable netbook is only available as part of a home broadband bundle, which offers the laptop plus a free 1GB mobile broadband allowance.

To qualify for the deal, you need to sign up for L or XL home broadband and take a Virgin Media home phone line for £13.90 a month too. You can also add digital TV and home phone packages.

Vodafone free laptop

Vodafone Broadband (www.Vodafone.co.uk) offers free laptop deals from Dell and Samsung. Both are available on 24 month contracts, with download allowances of 1GB and 3GB. Importantly, Vodafone offers the only free Dell laptop with mobile broadband in the UK. Visit www.Vodafone.co.uk/Dell-Inspiron for laptop specs.

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