Broadband News & Mobile Broadband News » Mobile Broadband News

Apple iPad & Mobile Broadband Deals Could Be Next

By Steve T — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:04:15 +0000

Bundle deals involving 3G mobile broadband access and the newly launched Apple iPad could be on their way to the UK later this year.

Following the sucess of mobile broadband and laptop packages, speculation is mounting that the UK’s mobile broadband providers like Vodafone, Orange and O2, together with 3rd party retailers like the Carphone Warehouse are eying similar deals involving the Apple iPad.

Talking to the Guardian, the UK Chief Executive of the Carphone Warehouse, Andrew Harrison welcomed the launch of the Apple iPad, saying: “To me, the really interesting thing is what we are seeing is devices designed with how the consumer uses the internet very much in mind, rather than just a computer that was made for business use trying to fit the consumer”.

Harrison continued: “Our perspective is we play in the world of connectivity and particularly mobile connectivity and this device fits well within that; we think there will be a whole range of them. This is an extension of a smartphone perhaps even more than it being a smaller PC. It is much more in the territory that we operate in.”

One of the new Apple iPad models features both Wi-Fi and 3G mobile phone network connectivity which will enable future UK iPad users to access the Internet pretty much anywhere in the UK.

Amongst many exciting functions, Apple iPad users will be able download and use apps, music and videos from the iTunes store, aswell as playing games and storing photos.

Apple iPad prices will start from £307 for the 16GB model. It is expected to be available to buy by the end of March 2009.

Pay As You Go Mobile Broadband Now 1/2 Price

By Sue A — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:07:37 +0000

The pay as you go mobile broadband dongle from O2 is now available to order online at the o2.co.uk website for half price at just £14.67.

Available in white or pink, the O2 dongle, known as the USB modem E160, is MAC and PC compatible.

Perfect as a Christmas present, users receiving the O2 dongle can simply top up with the data usage they need.

Options include paying £2 for one day’s worth of data (500MB), £7.50 for one week (1GB data) and £15 for one month (3GB data).

Once topped up and plugged into a users laptop or desktop, the dongle connects to the O2 network which provides mobile broadband speeds up to 3.6Mbps.

There’s also unlimited access to over 6,100 Wi-Fi hotspots in the UK provided by The Cloud and BT Openzone.

Readers can find out more info at the o2.co.uk website or compare pay as you go mobile broadband deals from O2, 3, Vodafone and T-Mobile here.

HSPA+ Mobile Broadband To Ease Network Strain

By Sue A — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:57:49 +0000

HSPA+ technology could be deployed by UK mobile broadband operators to help ease the strain on their networks, according to mobile industry analysts Informa.

The technology will be used as an interim measure from the current HSPA to the future LTE Mobile Broadband which promises speeds up to 150Mbps without the bottlenecks.

Informa claim that mobile broadband operators are feeling the strain of increased users and estimate that by 2012 mobile data traffic could increase by up to 25 times.

Talking to PCPro, Dimitris Mavrakis from Informa said: “The networks in developed markets in the UK and the US are starting to saturate. We see a lot of bottlenecks in data-centric areas such as London and New York”.

According to Mavrakis, the next generation of mobile broadband, known as LTE (Longer Term Evolution) will ease the pressure on mobile broadband networks.

However, despite rollout of this new technology starting early next year, full implementation may not be until 2012 or later.

With this in mind, experts like Informa believe mobile broadband operators will add HSPA+ technology to their existing networks to ease the strain prior to LTE arriving.

UK Wide Mobile WiMax Broadband Rollout Unlikely

By Sue A — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:38:11 +0000

The wholesale wireless network operator, Bluenowhere, has said that a UK wide mobile WiMax broadband rollout is unlikely.

This is reported to be due to a lack of backing from any of the top five mobile broadband providers in the UK, which means that WiMax is likely to only be available for select niche groups.

The main reason why mobile WiMax hasn’t been backed by the UK’s mobile broadband suppliers is because it is a competitor to the Long Term Evolution of 3G for the title of 4G. It seems that most mobile broadband ISP’s prefer LTE to be their future service.

The Chief Executive of Bluenowhere, Harry Aldridge said to ZDnet.co.uk, “We don’t rule out that mobile WiMax could be deployed as a 4G type service in the UK, but it’s our view that it would require either an existing mobile operator to commit to deploying it as their 4G solution, or it would require an equally established company with big pockets to deploy on that basis to have any chance of making it a success”.

Consequently it could be likely that WiMax is used to help fill the gaps that currently exist in the UK’s fixed line broadband coverage network. This could be in various isolated areas across the UK.

Mobile Broadband Could Fulfil Broadband USO

By Sue A — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:29:24 +0000

Mobile broadband is capable of fulfilling the government’s 2Mbps broadband universal service obligation according to Phil Sheppard, the Director of Technical Solutions at 3 UK.

Sheppard was speaking at the government’s Broadband for All eForum seminar where discussions were taking place on how best to implement the government’s broadband for all pledge in its Digital Britain report.

He said, “Mobile Broadband tends to be capable and commercially capable of providing the 2Mbps broadband universal service commitment and is an extremely efficient way of doing it”.

He continued, “It is very cost effective, it actually doesn’t need government funding, what it needs is access to spectrum, that’s the key”.

Access to the spectrum is an opinion held by a number of other UK mobile broadband providers.

It concerns Ofcom’s attempts to persuade Voadone and O2, the owners of the 2G (900Mhz) band to release it to operators like 3 who could convert the band to 3G and extend their mobile broadband coverage considerably.

This would then allow areas of the UK with no fixed line access to the Internet to receive mobile broadband access instead.

Ofcom Maps UK Mobile Broadband Coverage

By Sue A — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:08:22 +0000

Ofcom has published maps of UK mobile broadband coverage which shows numerous mobile broadband ‘Not-Spots’.

These are areas of the country that either have very poor, or no access to mobile broadband services.

The research looked into the coverage provided by all the UK’s 3G networks like 3 and Orange and found East Anglia, the South West of England and Scotland to have the worst mobile broadband coverage.

In order to improve coverage the Government is aiming to free up more of the 3G spectrum. This follows a pledge it made in the recent Digital Britain report.

Ofcom has said that they will help with this goal whilst also conducting further research into the quality of mobile broadband services.

In a statement Ofcom said, “ Mobile network coverage in the UK is generally good but some problems persist, particularly in rural areas. Ofcom is focusing on persistent so-called ‘Not-Spot’ areas and working where it can to facilitate better mobile coverage”.

It is no big surprise that more people are starting to access the internet from their mobile phone or laptop using dongles or data cards. As technology has improved, the need to go online whilst out and about has become increasingly important. However, as Ofcom publishes maps of UK mobile broadband coverage, it is easy to see that not everyone is getting a reliable service.

Readers can check mobile broadband coverage at the Ofcom website or on our mobile broadband comparison page where mobile broadband packages from 3, T-Mobile, Orange, Vodafone and O2 are also compared.

Mobile Broadband For Trains & Tube By 2012

By Sue A — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:40:32 +0000

Government plans for the UK’s trains and London Underground (tube) to have mobile broadband capabilities by 2012 is set to get the go ahead.

In the long awaited Digital Britain report published on Tuesday 16th June, Lord Carter stated that visitors to the UK for the 2012 Olympics will have high digital expectations. Ensuring that trains and the tube are well equipped with mobile broadband access will enable passengers to work on their laptop or browse the web on their phones with no interruptions.

To this effect, all new train franchises will be required to have mobile broadband services installed. Currently, passengers are finding that even in major stations, mobile broadband coverage on trains is unreliable.

The Digital Britain report also states that there is “a near total mobile coverage blackout over the central London section of the London Underground, including the capitals major stations.”

With the 2012 Olympics set to be the most ‘digital’ Olympics to date, the report encourages mobile network operators to work with the Major of London to provide and find solutions to improve mobile broadband access for Tube travellers.

Furthermore, sources indicate that if at any time regulations or related constraints block this particular goal then the government will step in.

Providing mobile broadband access on trains throughout the UK’s rail network and on the tube is just one of the recommendations pointed out by the Digital Britain report.

By 2012 it is hoped that through a variety of broadband connection improvements, wider usage areas and new internet piracy measures, the UK will be a lot more digitally advanced than it is today.

Whether it will be a ‘world broadband leader’ though, as suggested by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, remains to be seen.

Tesco Add Mobile Broadband & Free Laptop Deals

By Steve T — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:46:55 +0000

Tesco has launched a range of mobile broadband and free laptop deals in 50 of its in store mobile phone outlets.

The UK supermarket giant has so far linked up with mobile operators 3 and Orange to offer customers a choice of mobile broadband packages bundled in with over 30 free laptops or netbooks.

Lance Batchelor, Chief Executive of Tesco Mobile and Tesco Telecoms said, “We believe that mobile broadband is going to really take off in 2009 and we want to help our customers get the very best deals, making it easier than ever for them to stay connected wherever they are.”

Currently, Tesco’s cheapest mobile broadband and free laptop deal is for the 3 Broadband 15GB package and the Lenovo S9 netbook. This costs £24.47 a month on a 24 month contract and offers up to 3.6Mbps mobile broadband speeds and a sizeable 15GB data usage allowance.

The free Lenovo S9 netbook weighs just 1.1Kg’s and has an 8.9″ screen, 1.6Ghz Intel Atom processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB SSD hardrive.

Other deals include a free Dell Studio XPS 16 laptop with 3 Mobile Broadband for £29.36 a month and a free Compaq CQ60-214EM laptop with either 3 or Orange for £34.26 per month.

Samsung To Offer Film & TV Broadband Downloads

By Steve T — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:38:05 +0000

Samsung is set to launch a new film & TV broadband download service that’s available on either a PC or Samsung mobile phone.

The launch of the new service will take place first in the UK, with an impressive 10,000 films and TV shows available to download using a broadband connection.

They can either be bought permanently or rented out for a period of 24 hours – with the selection of films including top Hollywood action.

The prices aren’t bad either. If consumers want to own a film then it costs from £6.99 to £16.99, depending on the movie. Rentals cost are from £2.49 to £3.99 for a 24-hour period with both a PC version and a mobile phone version available for each film.

The service will originally be available on the Samsung Tocco Ultra Edition handset and will be included on other models in the future.

The Head of Content for Samsung, Nick-Turner Samuels said, “It’s not necessarily a giant profit making machine, but it will be looked at as a revenue making machine”.

Overall there are questions as to whether the new service will be reliable or not. There are also doubts over mobile broadband download speeds and how they will affect the download service.

Samsung will be launching the new service as a test with a view to full launch if the service is well received and download problems minimised.

Mobile Broadband & G1 Android Saves T-Mobile Profits

By Steve T — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:01:22 +0000

T-Mobile UK must be breathing a huge sigh of relief after results presented on Friday showed a boost in profits thanks largely to sales of mobile broadband connections and the G1 Android handset.

There had been a 5.2% drop in their pre-pay customer base during 2008. However, their contract customer base increased by 4.5%, driven by a 250% increase in mobile broadband device sales like USB dongle sticks and the G1 Android handset.

The Chief Executive of T-Mobile, Jim Hyde, said, “The successful launch of the Android-based G1 in October and the ongoing demand for mobile broadband services had a positive impact on the latter half of 2008.”

Mr Hyde’s statement shows that whilst many industry sectors are seeing a decrease in sales due to the recession, mobile broadband isn’t one of them.

Exclusive to T-Mobile, the G1 Android handset also has the added advantage of being the only mobile phone in the UK to currently use the Google Android software stack – though there will be a second Android phone known as Magic, released on the Vodafone network sometime in the Spring.

Mobile broadband sales are expected to get a further boost with the government eager to use mobile broadband to help reach its target of getting broadband access into every UK home by 2012.

Currently there isn’t enough broadband coverage provided by fixed line services, especially in rural areas. Using mobile broadband is just one way in which Lord Carter’s Digital Britain target can be reached.

One thing is for sure – mobile broadband is definitely here to stay and their sales are proving to be a lifeline for UK telecommunication companies.