Three of the UK's 3G networks are going head-to-head in a bit to tempt customers to make use of mobile internet access by slashing prices to £5 per month for a 2.8 megabits per second (Mbps) connection.
The Broadband Lite service, which is currently being offered by 3 is an 18-month contract that features 1GB of downloads per month and the latest Huawei E169G high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) modem or 'dongle' thrown in for no extra charge.
It can be difficult to draw direct comparisons between the networks because so many different packages are available, but Vodafone and Orange charge £15 a month for a service based on 3GB of downloads per month, while O2 charges £20 per month for roughly the same. Contract periods for decent tariffs are usually at least 18 months, with charges for HSDPA mobile modems and usable throughput speeds varying depending on network.
Even T-Mobile's once innovative Web 'n' Walk Plus service, which has a 3GB data limit, now seems extravagant at £15 per month.
As with all mobile broadband offers, there's a slight catch in the 3 offer: to take advantage of the price, you have to be an existing customer of the company's mobile phone service. The cheapest of these is currently £12 per month, with the handset costing extra on top.
Excess downloads cost 10 pence per megabyte over the 1GB allowance. Alternatively, a 3GB and 7GB download limit will set existing users back £7.50 and £12.50 per month respectively.
New customers can still take advantage of a £10-per-month offer for the same service, with pay-as-you-go users now paying only £50 for the Huawei E220 or ZTE MF622 modems, down from £69.99.
Despite the small print, the 3 offer is still impressive - mobile broadband is on paper now competitive with conventional fixed-broadband services. For mobile users, it's a viable alternative to using Wi-Fi internet connections that can be expensive and difficult to find.
It's not all good news for mobile broadband, or for 3. Last week broadband comparison website Broadband Expert claimed that the average mobile broadband throughput was only 1.46Mbps - some way below the speeds claimed by providers. In fact, 3 came bottom of the table for speed, achieving an average throughput of just 1Mbps, while T-Mobile scored 1.1Mbps and Vodafone a still rather modest 2.3Mbps.
Fixed-line networks in the UK routinely claim throughputs of 8Mbps, despite plenty of evidence that many users experience something closer to 4 to 6Mbps.
"It is not surprising that mobile broadband is behind fixed-line broadband, as it's a comparatively new technology. But mobile broadband providers must not follow the lead of home broadband services and advertise speeds that are largely unachievable," said a Broadband Expert spokesman.
Comments
FreeGee said: Have you guys checked out this router Apparently it supports a load of USB modems wwwdovadocomUMRhtml including the Huawei E169G I asked them when ZTE will be working and they said soon I ordered one
jspamkill said: I bought a 3mobile bband modem for private use down from 100 to 70 and can buy a choice of 1015or20 pay as you go vouchers once a month for a 137 gb allowance valid for 30 days It was very easy to set up and works really well hereThere is no additional line rental nor contract sting nor time restrictions to worry about It works with my skype and voip phones very satisfactorilyMaybe a gamer would want something faster but for a silver surfer who doesnt want unexpected big bills or contract hassle it seems a really nice solution for the time being
tricky said: What consumers need is a performance war not an unrelated price war which is whats currently occuringIts about time Ofcom did some real investigation
Paul Riley said: 3 Broadband serviceEXISTING CUSOTMER PAY THE PENALTY OF BEING EARLY ODOPTERSIf you took a 18 months contract when it was first released in September 07 you pay full price Later odopters from March can get the 50 off Rental deal from March of this year You can have a second dongle but cannot change your plan to take advantage of this deal WHAT A RIP OFF
ADENUF said: Ive had mobile bb for a couple of months and the speed never has lived up to expectations but it does seem to be very reliable which is good - if you consider getting this I suggest checking the coverage in your area very carefully and that the GB allowance is adequate for your usage also make sure you have a good time to test the operation and if neccesary cancel any contract without penalties
Robin said: Ive just got a Sykpe PAYG phone from 3 So I get all the normal mobile attributes plus every time I top up 10 I get a months access to the free Skype network - great as my daughters in New Zealand at present And for another 5 which I pay whenever I like ie not a fixed contract - I get unlimited 3 broad band with stuff like Google Maps etc for a month When it runs out I can pay another 5 or wait until I need it again I like this as I am in control - not the supplier
Beryl said: I just wish I could get decent BB BT says I can only have 512 kbps however I did get 14 MB from Pipex Homecall After BT Engineers did routine maintenance at the Exchange last year I only got 390 kbps until Pipex got them to sort it out I now get 12 MB so the routine maintenance made it worse No point in having Mobile BB My mobile only accepts and sends text at 1 bar here No chance of using it as a phone