TechnicaMag.com

The mobile phone industry is one of the fastest evolving technologies on the market, and 2008 saw the widespread and rapid growth in what is now being considered the future of this industry, mobile broadband.

Mobile broadband is a relatively new technology, which allows you to access the Internet without the need to plug into a fixed line. This means you can browse the web and check your emails using devices such as laptops and Internet compatible mobile phones from almost anywhere, even when you are abroad on holiday or business trips. Mobile phone companies offer this 3G mobile broadband as a part of many of the latest handsets packages, and also provide mobile ‘dongles’ (portable modem sticks that plug into USB ports) that can be used to access the Internet via laptops and PCs (as long as you are in an area of network coverage). Experts also predict that the recent release of laptops with integrated 3G wireless Vodafone data cards will grow rapidly in popularity from 2009 onwards, and with the competitive mobile broadband deals and fast download capacities this is predicted to soon equal Wi Fi connectivity sales.

Advantages

One of the main advantages of mobile broadband is that the prices are currently very competitive and you can get connectivity packages from as little as £10 per month, and some deals offer a free laptop if you sign up to a two year contract. Mobile internet is very convenient for those who travel a lot, or who use the Internet frequently and want the ability to access whenever or wherever they are. As the dongle plugs directly into your laptop it does not need its own power supply, and this combined with its small, compact size means it is completely portable and can simply be slipped into a handy pocket in your laptop bag until you need it.

Disadvantages

Currently only a few of the main providers offer mobile broadband services such as T Mobile, Vodafone and Orange. This means that if you are in an area with poor network coverage from these services you will not be able to take advantage of the various mobile broadband offers. Also some customers have found that the quality of mobile broadband can vary in relation to the network coverage, so at busy peak periods download times can be very slow. Also to maintain the integrity of the network most providers currently place quite restrictive limits on download allowance (from 1GB to 10GB) so this type of connection may not be suitable for heavy Internet users.

Conclusion
Despite the restrictions on mobile broadband there is no denying that some of the current deals are very cost effective, and the technology is only going to improve as time goes on. Mobile phone operators are in a key position to offer very aggressive mobile broadband features as they already run fixed line systems, so they are able to offer mixed media and access packages at extremely competitive prices.