If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
I will be staying in England for 4 weeks and was wondering if anyone could recommend a good wireless broadband ISP. As I only need it for a short time, a pay-as-you-go contract is out of the question. I will be staying mainly in the area around Gatwick, but obviously with side trips to LHR, MAN, etc.
Good question...I guess you are looking for a mobile broadband provider through a cellular network and not a traditional landline provider?
To answer both sides then...tradional BB providers through a landline on the whole ask you to committ to a 12 or 18 month contract. The only one i'm aware of at the moment who doesn't is Virgin who have a no 12 month contract service at £14.99 a month. (www.virgin.net). In addition to this you would also need access to a BT landline phone to put the broadband onto.
As far as mobile broadband goes, things are a little more complex as this is still a very much developing area of the market. 3G coverage in the UK is still only sitting at about 60% of the population which makes it very patchy although most networks will allow a GPRS fallback. In addition to this, proper mobile broadband is only just becomming available (speeds up to 1.8meg for example). At the moment only Tmobile and Vodafone are truely doing this (although Orange and 3 are too i think).
If you are looking for mobile broadband through a 3G data card then the only network that offers a non contractual solution is Vodafone but you have to pay a lot of money for the data card (from 130GBP) and then it's not cheap to use it. The best deals at the moment come from T-Mobile but you need to sign into a 12/18 month deal which is no good to you.
If you already have a 3G mobile then it may be possible to use that as a modem and just purchase a sim card...again not sure how well this would work as most 3G phones in the UK are pre-configured for the network. However, again it doesn't seem to be cheap to use. Vodafone charge at 7.50GBP/mb downloaded (yes that is per megabyte).
So in summary.. mobile broadband can be done but it's not cheap at all. If you want further details PM me mate.
We process personal data about users of our site, through the use of cookies and other technologies, to deliver our services, personalize advertising, and to analyze site activity. We may share certain information about our users with our advertising and analytics partners. For additional details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
By clicking "I AGREE" below, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our personal data processing and cookie practices as described therein. You also acknowledge that this forum may be hosted outside your country and you consent to the collection, storage, and processing of your data in the country where this forum is hosted.
Tweet
Comment