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Posted on 11 Feb 2009 at 10:32

Wi-Fi access

One easy way to avoid being stung on those excess data charges is to pick a mobile broadband provider that offers Wi-Fi access as part of the deal. BT might bundle only a miserly gigabyte of 3G data with its Total Broadband package, but it also throws in 2,000 minutes on its Openzone Wi-Fi network. This includes not only BT's own hotspots - which are frequently found at major railway stations and airports - but any of the BT FON hotspots that are operated by thousands of BT customers across the country. T-Mobile and O2 also provide Wi-Fi access as part of their mobile broadband tariffs. The networks often have roaming deals with foreign hotspot providers, which might help avoid those punitive foreign 3G rates.

If there's no Wi-Fi hotspot available, businesses can always create their own with the new mobile broadband routers. These highly-portable Wi-Fi routers are ideal for off-site meetings or visits to clients, where there's no guarantee that you'll have access to an internet connection. You can plug in your dongle and share the 3G connection with colleagues, allowing you to download presentations on-site, check email or even access the corporate network via a VPN.

One little-known feature offered by most of the mobile broadband providers, which could be particularly useful for businesses, is SMS text messages. The client software that comes with the dongles allows you to send and receive messages from the computer. Some tariffs include a set amount of free text messages, but most charge per message sent.

Is there anything professionals can't do on 3G that they could on ADSL? VoIP services, such as Skype, are actively outlawed by providers such as Virgin Mobile and O2, which are obviously keen to protect their call revenues. Others such as T-Mobile and especially 3 actively encourage customers to use VoIP. Again, check the terms and conditions rigorously if VoIP is critical to your business.

Image compression is another problem that could hamper professionals, particularly those in the creative or web design industries. Virtually all of the networks - again, with the exception of 3 - compress website image quality to preserve bandwidth and to maintain the impression of true ADSL-like speeds. Vodafone allows you to turn off the compression with its Mobile Connect software; T-Mobile offers a separate downloadable app that can adjust the level of compression; others, such as BT and O2, don't provide any means to switch it off.

While the blurry images probably won't affect the majority of business customers, photographers who need to check the quality of images, or website developers, will almost certainly want to see the maximum resolution, even if it takes a little longer to arrive.

Best broadband deal: BT Total Business Broadband offers an 8Mbits/sec ADSL connection with unlimited downloads and a "free" mobile broadband connection with 1GB of 3G data and 2,000 minutes of Wi-Fi for £26.99 a month, on a two-year contact. If you want to keep ADSL and mobile separate, Zen Internet's 8000 Pro (£29.78 exc VAT) plus Vodafone's £15 deal for 3GB of data is a reliable combination.

Broadband: Fixed vs broadband

Author: Barry Collins