Mobile Broadband Technology

By now, I expect you’re familiar with Mobile Broadband. If you haven’t tried it already, I assume you’ve seen it offered in your local Vodafone or O2 store. There are several versions of mobile broadband out there and several tariffs / data plans to boot. The most common version however seems to be that which is delivered over wireless via a USB dongle. These devices are no bigger than a few inches and simply plug directly into the side of your notebook / laptop. You then simply install a piece of software and you’re away, enjoying high speed interest access wherever you like (within reason). I have also seen offerings from T-Mobile in the form of an express card for newer laptop computers and PCMCIA (old school) cards for older notebooks. These, from what I gather, provide the same sort of service, it’s just that the hardware is slightly different.

Getting a mobile broadband package from a mobile provider is as easy as getting a mobile contract, you choose the tariff, sign the form and get the hardware for free (in most cases). Some mobile providers also provide a pay as you go service if you like in which you can buy the hardware (USB Dongle) for a fixed cost and then pay each month that you require the access. This is ideal if you only want to use the obile broadband whilst you’re waiting for a fixed line installation or if you’re planning to do some travelling and require Internet access.

Like all things broadband, the technology is changing quickly. Each time I see an offer for mobile broadband in the shop windows, the speeds seem to get quicker, the data capacities larger and the cost lower. It’ll be exciting to see what happens over the next couple of years to say the least.