Quicklinks
Want to jump straight to a networks site? Heres what you need:
What is mobile broadband?
If you've ever wished that you could get on with some online work while you were away from home, or that you could catch up on your emails without scouring the streets searching for an internet café, then mobile broadband could be a life changing piece of technology. With a portable modem you can carry with you, whenever, wherever you like you can plug it into your laptop and access the internet.
How do I compare mobile broadband packages?
Rather than clicking round all the providers' sites, usb-dongles.co.uk maintains an up-to-date, complete listing of mobile broadband prices and offers which you check free of charge. Because we are completely impartial this means we don't try and sell a particular network to everyone. Plain and simple impartial advice resulting in you the customer getting the best deal for the best price. Click here to compare all our packages. If you're totally confused about everything we have a complete section dedicated to helping you, take a look at our Mobile Broadband Explained Guide.
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T-Mobile
£15 per month
3GB download
WiFi hotspots
18 month term -
Vodafone
£15 per month
3GB download
7.2 mbps (upto)
12 month term
FREE modem
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Three
£15 per month
5GB download
3.6 mbps (upto)
18 month term
FREE modem
Virgin Mobile Broadband, just £15 per month!
The Virgin Mobile Broadband contract gives you a generous 3GB of data access in the UK every month. That's all this, and even a little bit more!
- * 2000 emails
- * 100 hours of web surfing
- * 200 music tracks
- * 100 two minute video's
| Monthly Allowance | Montly Cost | Cost of Device | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Mobile Broadband, £15 per month for 18 months | 3GB | £15.00 | Free | Order here! |
Plus, you'll get a free USB modem included. All for just £15 a month. More info about the Virgin Mobile Broadband deal.
Looks like Virgin Media has taken everyone by suprise yet again with another fantastic product. We done a bit of digging and can confirm that the speed is upto 3Mbps. Virgin are also willing to give you a free USB modem on the 18 month tarif. Bargain!
Mobile broadband in a nutshell
What does it all mean?
We’ve busted the jargon so you don’t have to.
3G Broadband - 3G is shorthand for 3rd Generation. This basically means faster data transfer. The faster the data transfer, the faster you can download music, pictures and videos. Now the unique thing about 3G is that you don’t need a phone line like conventional broadband. Completely wireless you can be anywhere in the UK and you will still have broadband.
HSDPA - This means High Speed Downlink Packet Access. Put simply, HSDPA enabled devices will be able to download files and websites just as fast as your broadband at home.
HSUPA - This means High Speed Uplink Packet Access. This is the opposite of HSDPA, it allows you to upload files faster. For example if you have a bunch of pictures you want tpo put on facebook and don’t have a HSUPA enabled device it would take forever! With HSUPA those files will get sent alot faster, this applies to anything you’re sending - emails, videos, music, photos etc.
Dongle - This is the name given to the little stick you plug into your laptops usb port. This little gadget allows you to get online quick and easily and most importantly, without any wires. Being nice an portable you can literally take the internet with you wherever.
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1 GB enables you to:
- Send 1000 Outlook/HTML Emails
- Surf the web for 10 hours
- Download 5 four minute videos
- Download 32 four minute music tracks
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3 GB enables you to:
- Send 3000 Outlook/HTML Emails
- Surf the web for 30 hours
- Download 15 four minute videos
- Download 96 four minute music tracks
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5 GB enables you to:
- Send 5000 Outlook/HTML Emails
- Surf the web for 50 hours
- Download 25 four minute videos
- Download 160 four minute music tracks
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7 GB enables you to:
- Send 7000 Outlook/HTML Emails
- Surf the web for 70 hours
- Download 35 four minute videos
- Download 224 four minute music tracks
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15 GB enables you to:
- Send 15000 Outlook/HTML Emails
- Surf the web for 150 hours
- Download 75 four minute videos
- Download 480 four minute music tracks
Mobile broadband news
05 March 2010 - Taipei gets 1,000-strong fleet of WiMAX-equipped taxis
Looking for something else to be envious of now that in-flight WiFi is starting to be more readily available? Then look no farther than Taipei, which has just announced the roll-out of a 1,000-strong fleet of WiMAX-equipped taxis. Alright, so a short cab ride might not send you into the same sort of internet withdrawl that a five hour flight does, but we're not ones to turn down mobile broadband when it crops up in places normally reserved for a bit of down-time or "conversation." Best of all, the in-taxi WiMAX will apparently be free during the initial stage, although VMAX Telcom hasn't yet decided if it will charge a fee in the future. No word on any expansion plans beyond the initial 1,000 cabs just yet either, but the service will......
Read more at Engadget
04 March 2010 - Orange Jordan launches 3G network
(Telecompaper) Orange Jordan has launched its 3G+ network, expecting that some two million Jordanians will be covered by the service by the summer of this year. The 3G services will be offered in the market in three phases, Orange Jordan's CEO Nayla Khawam said during the launch in Amman. Under the first phase, the services will initially cover west Amman, Irbid and Zarqa, while in April the network coverage will expand to cover the entire capital. Orange also plans to cover Aqaba with 3G services by late April. During the summer, network coverage will have reached most urban locations in Jordan, delivering services to approximately 70 per cent of populated areas, which translates to around two million people, she said. In August last......
Read more at TelecomPaper
03 March 2010 - Telenet to start LTE tests
(Telecompaper) Belgian cable operator Telenet will conduct LTE tests between May and September, after obtaining the necessary test licence from the Belgian Institute for Post and Telecommunication (BIPT). With this licence, Telenet's LTE network will cover the city of Mechelen and the E19 motorway between Mechelen North and Mechelen South. During the test period, the LTE network will provide users with 10 times faster mobile internet and a response time of up to three times faster, the company said. These characteristics will make mobile broadband internet via LTE attractive for applications such as online gaming, real-time television, interactive video services, videoconferencing and internet applications in cars. The planned tests will......
Read more at TelecomPaper
03 March 2010 - Telefonica O2 to test LTE in Slovakia
(Telecompaper) Telefonica O2 will test LTE technology in Slovakia in cooperation with Nokia Siemens Networks. The tests will be performed in 2010 in the region of Banska Bystrica based on assigned frequencies in the 2.6 GHz band. The company is considering additional testing locations. With this initiative, Telefonica O2 Slovakia joined the other Telefonica Group companies involved in testing LTE networks. Telefonica O2 and Nokia Siemens Networks made a live demonstration of the LTE-based mobile broadband connections at MWC 2010 in Barcelona....
Read more at TelecomPaper
02 March 2010 - Panasonic slips Core i5 into 'world's lightest' 12.1-inch Toughbook C1 convertible tablet
We tell ya -- all this tablet talk sure has us feeling like it's 2003. You know, minus all that Y2K hangover stuff. Anywho, Panasonic has today outed what it's calling the planet's lightest 12.1-inch convertible tablet PC, with the Toughbook C1 offering the line's iconic rigidity while boasting 10 hours of battery life, an optional Gobi 2000 mobile broadband module and Intel's decidedly potent 2.4GHz Core i5-520 processor. All told, the device weighs just 3.2 pounds with a single battery (3.7 pounds with twins), and there's full support for digitizers and multitouch. Other specs include a shock-mounted, flex-connect 250GB hard drive, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, a WXGA (1,280 x 800) LED-backlit panel, a triple hinge......
Read more at Engadget
02 March 2010 - Nokia unveils C5 smartphone
(Telecompaper) Nokia unveiled the Nokia C5, a smartphone optimized for social networking and sharing content. The compact device will sell for an estimated retail price of EUR 135, before taxes and subsidies. The handset features direct access to favourite contacts on the device homescreen and Facebook status updates visible from the phonebook. In addition to social networking, users have access to Ovi Mail, Nokia Messaging, Ovi Maps, a 3.2 megapixel camera, a 2GB memory card and high-speed mobile broadband. Available in white or warm grey with a 2.2-inch screen, the Nokia C5 is expected to begin shipping in select markets during the second quarter....
Read more at TelecomPaper
26 February 2010 - Telefonica sees improvement as Q4 revenues grow 1.2%
(Telecompaper) Telefonica reported fourth-quarter revenues up 1.2 percent form a year earlier to EUR 14.98 billion, while OIBDA improved 1.4 percent to EUR 5.98 billion. The margin was up slightly to 39.9 percent from 39.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. The Spanish operator posted net profit up 22.2 percent to EUR 2.44 billion, helped by a lower tax bill. In its home market, the company saw an improvement in business performance in Q4, with a smaller decline in sales. Revenues fell 1.6 percent to EUR 5.05 billion, while OIBDA improved 3.6 percent to EUR 2.52 billion, helped by contributions for universal service. The Latin America business increased revenues 8.0 percent year-on-year to EUR 6.33 billion amid steady growth in the......
Read more at TelecomPaper
25 February 2010 - Telava 3G Broadband Bullet kills mobile broadband contracts dead
3G anywhere is great, but locking yourself into a two (plus) year contract to get access to it is decidedly less-so. Enter Telava, a prepaid wireless company that is launching its so-called Broadband Bullet. It's a simple USB modem that you can pop into your port-having device and get online at typical 3G speeds, the interesting thing being here that your $50 a month for 5GB ($60 for unlimited) comes without a contract. You can pay for one month, take a month off, then pay for the next two, switch between 5GB and unlimited, and generally do whatever you like without getting hit with an ETF. What you will get hit with is a $100 up-front security deposit, or you can pay $200 if for some crazy reason you want to keep the thing. Telava......
Read more at Engadget
25 February 2010 - US broadband plan to recommend 500 MHz more mobile spectrum
(Telecompaper) US FCC chairman Julius Genachowski has released more details of the upcoming National Broadband Plan, including plans to make at least 500 MHz of additional spectrum available over the next decade. The mobile industry group CTIA welcomed the proposal to free up more spectrum. To encourage broadcasters to give up some of their spectrum, the chairman proposed a "Mobile Future Auction", where existing spectrum licensees can voluntarily relinquish spectrum in exchange for a share of auction proceeds. The broadband plan will also recommend a more flexible approach to other frequency bands, used for mobile satellite service or wireless communications service. These licensees would have the option to put the spectrum toward......
Read more at TelecomPaper
23 February 2010 - PCWorld ranks AT&T tops in 3G performance test
We all have something of a need, a need for speed, and while most won't have an opportunity to go all Maverick on some MIG-28s somewhere over the Indian Ocean, we can do our best to get the quickest wireless on offer. Last summer, when we stacked the top four mobile broadband cards against each other, we found that AT&T came out on tops for peak performance, and now nearly a year on PCWorld has come to the same conclusion, finding that Ma Bell offers upload and download speeds that are twice some of the competition. The seven page test splits everything out by city and goes into more details than we'll tire you with here, but do note that all this testing was done in urban areas, so don't forget to double-check the coverage map before......
Read more at Engadget