Introduction

The principle attractions of mobile broadband technology are flexibility, convenience and, of course, mobility. These features, coupled with the fact that the mobile voice market is saturated, meaning that providers are forced to offer competitive capped data packages, means that the technology has quickly gathered pace. In fact, mobile broadband prices fell by 4% in 2008 compared with 2007, if all countries were taken into account, while, in the U.K., prices fell by as much 35% in the same period.

The number of mobile broadband subscribers in Europe increased to nearly 20 million in 2008, thanks to the availability of user-friendly USB (”Universal Serial Bus”) modems, or “dongles”, and new developments, such as HSDPA, “High Speed Downlink Packet Access” technology may see the total number of connections reach 150 million by 2014.

Mobile Broadband Products & Providers

Mobile broadband works in the same way as landline, or cable, broadband, insofar as subscribers sign a contract, typically of 12, 18 or 24 months` duration, and pay a monthly fee for their chosen mobile broadband package. Mobile broadband is available from 3, Orange, T-Mobile, and Vodafone, and prices vary between providers, with speed, monthly download limit, and minimum contract length determining the price of individual packages. Most mobile broadband packages include a USB modem, invariably free of charge these days, which contains a SIM (”Subscriber Identity Module”) and plugs into a laptop computer.

Download speeds of up to 7.2Mbps (”Megabits per second”), which compare favourably with fixed line broadband deals, are possible, but monthly download limits are must more restrictive, typically between 1Gb and 10Gb per month, and 3Gb per month on average. Unlike fixed line broadband deals, where “unlimited” download limits are commonplace, if you`re prepared to pay extra for the privilege, mobile Internet deals must take into account the finite capacity of 3G (”3rd Generation”) mobile phone networks, and the cost of transferring data across them.

Unlimited download limits would place unacceptable strain on the 3G network, leading to slow service and dropped connections, not to mention the high cost of data transfer, when compared to conventional ADSL (”Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line”) or cable broadband connections. These are the factors that are likely to limit the growth of mobile broadband in the short-term – not withstanding the current global economic downturn – but with 3.5G, and 4G, technologies, such as HSDPA, and WiMax, driving the market ever forward, that may not always be the case.

Disclaimer

This website and all the information and sugggestions contained herein are provided “AS-IS”, without warranty of any kind. While the author aims for accuracy, and has tested the content in various systems, the author assumes no responsibility for your use of these suggestions. The author will not be liable for any special, incidental, consequential or indirect damages due to loss of data or any other reason.