Best Mobile Broadband UK

Welcome to Best Mobile Broadband UK. This site aims to be the definitive guide to mobile broadband in the UK. On the site you can compare mobile broadband deals, read mobile broadband reviews, and find a detailed mobile broadband FAQ at the bottom of this home page. We hope you find the site useful in selecting your new mobile broadband provider.

How good is mobile broadband? As a radio technology, there can be great differences depending on provider and network. At its best in a strong 3G signal area, it works like a dream. We use Vodafone Mobile Broadband ourselves and in good signal areas we've had no problem streaming YouTube videos. On the train, you'll move in and out of 3G areas, but it will enable you to get some work done. However, if you are out of a 3G area for a given provider, mobile broadband reverts back to the GPRS standard and is slower than dial-up, and it can't really be described as broadband at all. Our advice would be to check mobile broadband coverage for where you want to use it most, and if possible ask around to see what performance others are experiencing. What is for sure is that mobile broadband coverage and performance should continue to improve. The mobile networks have all made major investments in 3G technology and will be highly motivated to provide the best service for the massive demand expected for mobile broadband.

Compare Mobile Broadband Providers

	Voted Best Wireless ISP by industry experts at the 2008 ISPAs Free netbook deals now available 14 Day Money Back Guarantee available on most packages Prices from £15/month inc VAT Find Out More at Vodafone Mobile Broadband
	The best support available for business users Voted Best Wireless ISP by industry peers at the 2008 ISPAs Competitive pricing from £12.77 ex VAT per month (£15 inc VAT) Find Out More at Vodafone Small Business Mobile Broadband
	From £10/month One of the cheapest services but check you have good network performance in your area first 14 day peace of mind guarantee (T&Cs apply) Find Out More at 3 Mobile Broadband
	£10/month for first 3 months, £15/month thereafter (24 month contract) T-Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot access included Find Out More at T-Mobile Broadband
	50 day Happiness Guarantee From £15/month Get mobile broadband AND home broadband from £20/month Includes unlimited access to 6,100 Wi-Fi hotspots around the UK Find Out More at O2 Mobile Broadband
	From £15/month Free netbook deals available Find Out More at Orange Mobile Broadband

New for Oct 2008! Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Netbook with Inbuilt Mobile Broadband

The Dell Inspiron Mini netbook offers inbuilt mobile broadband from Vodafone for the ultimate in portable computing. The netbook may be tiny, but it still boasts a similar spec to larger laptops, meaning it can handle all your internet apps, Word and Excel documents with ease. The spec features: - Microsoft Windows XP Home operating system. - 1.6GHz Intel Atom Processor with 1GB or RAM - 8.9in LCD screen. - Built-in Vodafone mobile broadband. - Wi-Fi enabled with integrated Bluetooth - Integrated webcam. - 8GB solid state hard drive. - The netbook is available free on a 24-month Vodafone Mobile Broadband contract at £25/month. Visit Vodafone Mobile Broadband now to find out more

Mobile broadband is a relatively new service and as a radio technology the internet connection speed obtained is highly dependent on where the service is being used. Under optimum 3G network conditions, as increasingly available in the UK's large cities, mobile broadband can provide an internet connection speed and web browsing experience comparable to that of home broadband. However, out in the countryside where a 3G network is not available, mobile broadband will revert to the GPRS standard, and the web browsing experience will be similar to that on an old dial-up internet connection, or even slower. At the very least mobile broadband gives you a chance of obtaining an internet connection when you are away from home. The service is set to improve rapidly with the increasing demand for mobile internet and the major mobile broadband providers investing in their 3G and 3.5G networks.

If you want to get mobile broadband, then we suggest reading the mobile broadband reviews available on this site, and asking anyone you know who is already using mobile broadband in your area, so you can get the best mobile broadband coverage available. Most of the UK mobile broadband providers offer a trial period within the contract so you can see how well mobile broadband works in your signal area before deciding to continue.

With the new 3G and 3.5G networks being rolled out, the extent of UK mobile broadband coverage is increasing rapidly, and in areas of good signal quality the speed of mobile broadband is now becoming a viable alternative to home broadband. The cost of a mobile broadband contract has now come down to compare favourably with home broadband too. In fact in some cases the cheapest option is now mobile broadband. Add to that the really easy set-up, high convenience factor of being able to use the internet whenever you are in a mobile broadband coverage area, and not having to wait for your broadband line to be switched when you move house etc, and you can see why many are predicting that in a few years time, mobile broadband will be the dominant broadband platform.

We hope you find the site useful, and if you are already using mobile broadband then please help others by adding your own review of the mobile broadband provider. For detailed information, see our mobile broadband FAQ at the bottom of the page.

Mobile Broadband FAQ

Is it difficult to set up the mobile broadband USB modem?

No, they're easy to set up. First you need to insert the SIM card provided into the USB modem, then plug the modem into the laptop. Often when you are using a Windows XP or Vista laptop, it installs the software needed automatically and connects to the 3G network, because the drivers can be saved on the USB stick itself. If you are using an older Windows machine or an Apple Mac, you will need to install the modem driver software from disk. Unlike home broadband, mobile broadband doesn't need any complex configuration of the connection equipment with a username and password. This is because all the necessary connection authorisation information is provided by the SIM card within the USB modem. Just as your mobile phone SIM allows you to use your mobile phone network, so the mobile broadband SIM in the USB modem allows you to gain mobile broadband access.

How fast is mobile broadband?

Firstly, it depends whether you have mobile broadband coverage (i.e. a 3G or 3.5G signal) in your area, so see our UK mobile broadband coverage page for links to coverage maps for Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange. Even when you are in a 3G coverage area, as mobile broadband is a radio service, the service speed can vary greatly depending on local conditions, e.g. electrical interference. Note that the speeds quoted by service providers are usually "up to" theoretical maximums and the speed you can achieve in your area will usually be much lower. Vodafone currently quotes the fastest service speed at 7.2Mbps, and whilst under optimum conditions this would be as fast as most current home fixed-line broadband connections, and would be fast enough to stream online video, actual speeds obtained on Vodafone and other mobile broadband services are usually much lower (around 2 to 2.5 Mb/s). Online gaming places further demands on the broadband connection, see the fuller answer below.

When you are outside the 3G mobile broadband coverage, you will revert back to a GPRS-based service and this is very slowly, comparable to the speed of an old dial-up service or worse.

Note that when operating in a good 3G signal area using a mobile phone as a modem instead of a dedicated USB modem may reduce your maximum connection speed , especially if you are connecting the phone to the laptop via Bluetooth. However, when connecting in a GPRS-only area, the mobile phone is unlikely to be a limiting factor.

Is mobile broadband fast enough for online gaming?

Mobile broadband can be used successfully for online gaming, but how good your experience is will depend very much on the quality of signal you receive.  Mobile broadband often has higher latency than fixed-line broadband, and this can be an issue if you are playing an action-intensive online game. The time taken for data to go from your computer, to the gaming server, and back to your computer, which is known as the ping or response time, needs to be between 100 and 500ms for a decent gaming experience.  Mobile broadband can provide a low response time of 100ms when signal conditions are good, making even a demanding first person shooter game feasible, but it can also be as much as a few seconds in poor signal areas, where you may have to stick to MMO games such as World of Warcraft.      

We would say the 7.2Mbps mobile broadband service from Vodafone would be suitable for online gaming, but we hope to provide further information on this shortly. 

Which network is best for mobile broadband reception?

This just depends on where you are, just as it does for mobile phone reception. Often you can trial a service first before signing up for a full contract, so we suggest doing that. See our UK mobile broadband coverage page for links to current mobile broadband coverage maps from the major providers.

Can I use a mobile phone as a modem for my laptop?

Yes, many 3G phones can connect to the internet and serve it to your laptop via either a Bluetooth or USB connection. However, you are then limited by the mobile phone battery life, and whilst the mobile broadband connection speed can be good, it is generally slightly slower than with a dedicated USB modem or datacard. You will need a contract with a data allowance from your mobile phone network.

What is the best mobile phone to use as a modem?

The Nokia N95 does a good job.

Can I share a mobile broadband connection between multiple computers?

You can with a router designed to work with a mobile broadband connection. An example of such a router is the Draytek Vigor 2910, which has a USB port to which you can connect a 3G USB modem or 3G phone, allowing connection to the internet via HSDPA at connection speeds of up to 3.4Mb/s. Please note we have yet to confirm whether the USB modems from 3, T-Mobile and Vodafone work with this router.

Other mobile broadband routers we are aware of:
- Linksys WRT54G3G Wireless-G router, which accepts a mobile broadband data card, e.g the Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G broadband data card
- DrayTek 2820n Router. This is a high specification mobile broadband and general purpose router from Draytek, and can accept ADSL/ADSL2+ broadband connections, has a Dual-WAN ports to connect an ADSL modem, cable modem or both, and has a USB Port for a 3G mobile broadband modem. The router can then distribute the broadband internet connection to other computers via b, g or n WiFi.

Note that if you buy a mobile broadband USB modem, you are free to swap it between computers if you want to. You could use it on your laptop whilst you are out and about, and then switch it to your desktop when you are at home.

Can you get a stable connection with mobile broadband?

Yes, providing you have a good 3G signal where you are. When you aren't moving the connection stability can be excellent. If you are on a train then you may find you get disconnections if you travel out of a 3G signal area and your modem can't migrate you from a 3G to a GSM connection. Some 3G/GPRS datacards can cope with this by dropping down to slower GPRS without disconnecting, e.g. the O2 Merlin 3G/GPRS datacard.

Can I use mobile broadband with Windows Vista?

Yes. Most mobile broadband services will work with Windows Vista. We can confirm that following services definitely work on Windows Vista:
- 3 Mobile
- T-Mobile (USB modem and data card, for which a software download is needed)
- Vodafone (USB modem, 7.2Mbps USB stick modem)

Can you tell me which Windows Operating Systems are compatible with these mobile broadband services?

- T-Mobile USB Modem (Windows Vista, Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows 2000)

Can I use mobile broadband on a Mac? What is the best mobile broadband service for a Mac?

Yes. We can confirm following mobile broadband services will work on a Mac:
- 3 Mobile (USB modem)
- T-Mobile (USB modem, Apple Mac OS X 10.2.6 or higher, Apple Mac Leopard is not currently supported. The datacard is not currently Mac compatible.)
- Vodafone (3.6Mbps USB modem, 7.2Mbps USB modem and 7.2Mbps USB stick modem, OS X Panther 10.3.9 or higher required).

The best mobile broadband for a Mac will be determined by which provider has the best signal quality in the locations where you will be using your Mac. See our UK mobile broadband coverage page.

Can I use my UK mobile broadband service when abroad?

Yes, see our mobile broadband abroad page.

Can I use VOIP on mobile broadband?

Yes,  but in areas where the mobile broadband signal quality is low, there can be a lot of latency when talking.  Also, some lower-priced contracts will block it, e.g. to use it on T-Mobile, you need web'n'walk Max.

With mobile broadband, are all the normal ports open so I can use remote desktop, VPN and VoIP?

People have been able to access these services on T-Mobile Web n Walk. Note that using VoIP and IM services may be against the T&C's of your contract. For VoIP the latency on the 3G connection can be quite high.