Broadband News & Mobile Broadband News

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.

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 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 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.

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.