A Simple Guide to Mobile Broadband

The Internet and ability to access it has now become a necessity versus a luxury. People need it on a daily basis to communicate with friends and family, keep in touch with work, monitor their bank and credit usage and for a host of other uses. However being tied down to your home network restricts its usability and is a frustrating experience when you are away from your home. There is however a solution for people needing access "on the road" – namely Mobile Broadband.

Mobile broadband is distinct from Mobile Internet on a phone (despite the similarity in names) and is generally used to refer to the ability to access the Internet via means of a wireless device - generally through the use of a "dongle" but also via means of a connected external Mobile Phone with an associated data plan.

Mobile broadband is an outgrowth of the cellular technology that we use on our mobile phones (hence the similarity in names) but as technology has changed so has the way in which we utilise it. Not too long ago, if you wanted to get online outside of the home you would connect your mobile phone to your laptop and utilising the cellular network access the information you needed. While the flexibility was there, the speed just was nowhere near comparable to that available through a home network as cellular networks were designed for the transfer of voice and not data. However as time progressed, the situation changed and companies started rolling out networks that utilize "packet switching" technology - simply put, a way of separating large streams of information into smaller chunks so that it can be transferred faster. These newer networks are referred to as 3G (third generation) networks (an even newer advancement is the growth of HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) networks which are even faster than 3G networks) and with the way in which they work, the ability to access the Internet via means of a remote connection is now possible.

Most new mobile phones will allow you to link your phone to a laptop or tablet PC to take advantage of the speed of the network, but the other option as already mentioned is a dongle. This is a standalone device that plugs into the USB port of your laptop (or table PC) and by installing the software (generally included with the device) you are able to utilize the same network as your mobile phone. As these dongles are sold with a specified data plan (and are also available on a pay as you go basis) they are a great and easy option.

In the UK there are six different Mobile Phone providers offering Mobile Broadband deals - 3, O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Talk Talk and Virgin, each of which have their own plans and offerings, which can be quite confusing. To help resolve the confusion I recommend that you utilize the services of a consolidator site like Broadband Genie which will not only take some of the confusion away but will also enable you to drill down in a simple and easy to understand manner the deals that are most important to you!

About the author: Hutch Morzaria writes on behalf of Broadband Genie and Mobile Phone Genie, the independent comparison sites for broadband, mobile broadband and smartphones.