With the 3G Mobile Dongle you no longer need to be tethered to a fixed line or a long term commitment to BT or Talk Talk. Today there are almost 1 million dongle users in the UK and demand is growing so much so that, for the past two quarters that the number of fixed-line broadband connections in the UK has started to fall for the first time ever, according to the Office of National Statistics.
With near saturation of mobile phone ownership, the option to go with a mobile dongle is winning over many new users with the promise of broadband that goes with them and it doesn't require them to pay twice: once for the broadband and once for the phone line.
What is the best dongle broadband option for you? The answer to this question depends why you surf the net, whether for business or leisure or indeed a combination of both. Equally is you usage occasional or regular usage. In some cases, the mobile companies are offering laptops or notebooks as part of the tariff options. However, the two primary options are Pay-as-you-go or Contract in the same way mobile phone service is offered. So what are the options:-
Pay-as-you-go Dongles
Pay As You Go dongles are growing very rapidly in popularity as they do not require a long-term contract to enable a PC, laptop or notebook user to connect to the internet. The customer simply buys a dongle which has a set amount of time and data download capabilities.
The dongle is then plugged in to the computer as a plug-and-play device allowing for instant broadband access to the internet without a contract. The customer just uses the connection until they have used up the available amount of cash they originally purchased.
They can then just repeat the process thus avoiding a contract commitment of 12, 18 or 24 months to a mobile broadband operator. This system works very well for many users, providing them with access to the Internet, albeit with a limit in the time and the amount of available download before the credit is exhausted.
Customers who make use of their computer for longer periods of time each month very often opt to sign up for a contract with one of the big operators such as Vodafone, 3, Carphone Warehouse or Orange.
Contract Dongle
Although the same operators also offer pay-as-you-go deals, many people prefer the added convenience of long-term contract connection. The two systems basically operate in the same way making use of a broadband dongle to connect the computer to the Internet.
A contract connection offers the advantage of being simpler and cheaper to run on a month-to-month basis than pay-as-you-go wireless Dongles. The savings can actually be quite considerable if you make a large amount of use of your internet connection each month.
Downloading can be far more practical financially with a long-term contract. Many people feel that 18 or 24 month commitments can be outpaced by developments in the mobile broadband connection field. Therefore the most popular contract is one for 12 months giving a good degree of flexibility to move with the ever-changing broadband times.
In this way should you find a deal that suits your needs better, or there is a new technological developments with connection capabilities it is not a prohibitively long period until your contract comes up for renewal.
Both Pay As You Go and contract connections offer advantages and disadvantages. It is wise to consider which best suits your personal broadband Internet needs. As a rule of thumb longer hours spent surfing the web each month or large amounts of data download requirements favour a long-term contract.
Less time spent surfing and little need for major amounts of data download are best suited to be more flexible Pay As You Go dongle connections.
Network Issues
However, not everyone is convinced that mobile broadband is up to the job. 3G Mobile network availability is clearly an issue in much the same way it is for some mobile operators. There are also issues with the network when too many people are online and services drop off. As an alternative, there are a couple of firms offering satellite broadband which has been touted as a solution for rural areas, but it is comparatively expensive with Avanti offers a 2Mb service for £45 a month.
