Mobile Broadband Northern Ireland
Mobile broadband, also known as ‘High Speed Down Link Packet Access’ (HSDPA) allows you connect your laptop or your computer to the internet wherever you are. It works using either a small portable USB modem, or a data card. Althrough mobile broadband was initially seen as a solution for people who need broadband on the move, it is increasingly being adapted as the primary broadband connection method by many households. The reason for this is that with the traditional ADSL broadband option, you need to have a fixed BT landline installed. However, with the growing trend of the mobile phone replacing the landline, many consumers are loath to pay the £100+ installation charge for a landline that they dont need.
BroadbandNI.com operates independently of all the mobile broadband providers that are displayed on our site. The table shows the main players in the market:
Provider |
Package / Details | Data Allowance | Out of bundle charge (per MB) | Speed (up to) |
Monthly Cost | Setup* | Continue |
| Broadband Casual Broadband Casual is a 'pay as you go' tarrif - suitable as an alternative to searching for wifi hotspots - but not suitable for high usage |
0GB |
£1.00 |
3.6Mb |
£0 |
£69.99 |
||
Broadband Lite |
1GB |
10p |
3.6Mb |
£10 |
£0 |
||
Web'n'walk Plus |
10GB |
- |
3.6Mb |
£15 |
£0 |
||
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Vodafone 3GB tarrif Vodafone's entry level tarrif, offering free set-up with a 24 month contract. Vodaphone's 3G network covers a high percentage of 'east of the bann' |
3Gb |
15p |
1.8Mbs |
£15 |
£0 |
Continue |
| Internet everywhere 24 months Orange's 3Gb mobile broadband package comes with a more forgiving 'fair usage' policy that would normaly come with ADSL. |
3Gb |
15p |
1.8Mbs |
£15 |
£0 |
Continue |
|
| Broadband Plus 3's most popular package - offering all the benfits of mobile broadband combined with an ample 3GB data allowance - making it a viable alternative to the traditional ADSL broadband. |
3Gb |
10p |
3.6Mb |
£15 |
£0 |
||
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O2 Mobile Broadband |
3Gb |
20p |
1.8Mbs |
£20 |
£0 |
Continue |
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Vodafone 5GB tarrif Vodafone's 5Gb, offering free set-up with a 24 month contract. Vodaphone's 3G network covers a high percentage of 'east of the bann' |
5Gb |
15p |
1.8Mbs |
£25 |
£0 |
Continue |
* Minimum contract periods will usually apply when free set-up is offered.
Mobile broadband is one of the fastest changing areas of this exciting industry, and there are a few big players that are dominating the market at present. Much of greater belfast has decent 3G coverage - so you should be able to get 2-3mb connections reliably enough. Outside Belfast you would need to check your specific address with your mobile broadband provider. We have tested mobile broadband in Portadown and Armagh and have been able to get a 3.6mb connection. However - at busy times of the day the connection can crawl to a halt.
A word of warning - you will note that in the table above we have included 'Data Allowance' details, and if you are a heavy internet user this is something you want to be carefull about. If you are jsut a regular internet user, using the internet to check your email, do a bit of online shopping, update your facebook profile and maybe a bit of price comparison research then you could typically use less than 1GB per month - but if you are a heavy internet user who regularly downloads videos or uses online gaming then you may find you use quite a lot of data transfer every month!
The bad news for those of you who are too far from an exchange to get ADSL broadband (despite promisese that Northern Ireland was the first region in Europe to have 100% access to high speed internet!) is that current mobile broadband solutions are unlikely to fix your problem. But this is a fast changing industry - so keep your eye out for developments.
If you want wireless access that is not limited to wifi hotspots
A list of all the Internet Service Providers delivering Broadband to Northern Ireland consumers.
Broadband News
Save even more money with a bundled package from mobile phone providers
Mobile Broadband
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