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The mobile broadband con

Posted on 24 Mar 2010 at 17:23

We reveal the true speeds of mobile broadband connections and what you can do to make them faster

Mobile broadband has been a phenomenal success: Orange claims that 3G dongle subscriptions have risen by more than 500% in the past year, giving weight to lofty predictions that the number of mobile internet connections will surpass fixed line connections by the end of 2011.

Yet there’s evidence that mobile broadband is struggling to cope. Mobile firms boast ever-improving network speeds, but evidence suggests that actual throughput is heading south. There are also questions over the value of long-term contracts and the capability of the dongles dished out by mobile firms.

In this feature, we’re going to expose the truth about mobile broadband – uncovering the facts and industry secrets that the mobile broadband firms don’t want you to know. We’ve teamed up with Thinkbroadband.com to provide real-world speeds for all five of Britain’s biggest mobile broadband providers, giving you a reflection of the download rates achieved during tens of thousands of speed tests taken across the country. We’ve also conducted our own speed tests in central London, to find out just how fast these USB dongles can really go.

We’ve talked to the experts to reveal the best deals for mobile broadband buyers, what you should look for in a dongle, and whether you’re better off with a dedicated USB modem or an integrated model in your laptop.

Finally, we have first-hand reviews of six mobile broadband networks to help you decide which is best suited to your needs.

Author: Barry Collins