What Do You Need To Know About Mobile Broadband Coverage?
The term “mobile broadband coverage” describes the areas which are serviced by a mobile broadband network signal. If you happen to be in an area with no coverage, signing up for a service is a waste of time and money.
Over 99% of the UK is now covered by the mobile networks, which makes it pretty unlikely that you’ll find yourself somewhere with absolutely no signal whatsoever. This is one of the advantages of living on a small, well populated island!
However, to get true broadband speeds, you’re going to need to have 3G or HSDPA coverage – areas without either of these will usually use the old 2G networks, which can be painfully slow for mobile broadband. Because of this, it’s always worth checking the coverage offered by a provider before you sign up for their service.
Pay-as-you-go mobile broadband plans are a good way to reduce the risk of signing up with a poorly performing network. You can now pick up a USB modem at a fairly low price, buy a top-up and see how well it works without committing to a pay-monthly contract.
Even better is to try a package from one of the providers who offer a trial period. Many of the major providers have realised that one of the big stumbling blocks for those of us who are thinking about using this new technology, is doubt about their network’s mobile broadband coverage and performance. In an attempt to allay these fears, several of them are now offering money back guarantees. This is great, as it basically gives you the opportunity to try before you buy.
The mobile broadband coverage in your area can also be affected by things like trees, buildings, hills and weather conditions – just like your mobile phone signal can. This can make it very difficult to establish the quality of the connection you’re going to get until you actually try it out. If possible, ask someone who already uses mobile broadband in your area before deciding on a provider.
All of the networks are currently pouring lots of resources into improving their mobile broadband coverage. This is great news for the future of mobile broadband and many predict that it will become the predominant way to connect to the world wide web in the future – even those who are more sceptical agree that mobile broadband use is going to increase massively in the next few years.