Mobile Broadband archives

Abul (@adonisdemon) of adonismobile and Stephen (@stephenwing) of UKGadgeteer, have both tried 3’s MiFi as well as Novatel’s Wireless Intelligent Mobile Hotspot.



Back in December, Stephen commented on the differences in price between the two, ease of set up and the networks that they use.

Abul has just started trialling the Novatel device and still thinks that 3’s MiFi is the slickest one on the market.

If you’re thinking of getting yourself a MiFi and have any questions, jump over and ask away

So Monday saw the #3UKBigGiveAway which generated a lot of interest on Twitter and elsewhere.



Today people were getting their emails from 3 telling them whether they had won or not and we have seen a lot of updates on Twitter, both happy and sad!



Members of MoneySavingExpert seem to have had a lot of luck, with one thread being choca with winners.



Congratulations to all the winners and our condolences to all the losers – keep a look out for anymore promotions from 3UK and let us know if you were one of the lucky ones!

Morning everyone! Wanted to let you all know that 3’s BigGiveAway is happening today, all day from 9am to 7pm.



Every hour 3 is giving away 100 dongles and 80 one month Spotify Premium subscriptions and it’s completely free to enter.



3 believes that the internet is for everyone and wants to give everyone the chance to use it. There have been other dongle giveaways, which had a good reception from customers at UKGadgeteer - but this one will be even bigger.



Good luck everyone - let us know if you manage to win anything!

Stephen at UK Gadgeteer has posted about 3’s network improvement works, which started today.

“Already hitting capacity in certain areas, it makes sense to me to start with London to roll out what should end up as a faster, better network, which is one of the two areas 3UK really still need to work on (the other being Customer Services, but that’s not unique to 3UK).”

You can access all the information about these works on 3’s dedicated page, as Stephen explains:

“…from that page, you can enter your postcode (or town name) and it will tell you about any planned outages in your area; for the area around my home, for example, it tells me they… have more planned for today, which might result in an outage for me”

Outages – a dreaded word for any mobile network. They’re a necessary evil, however, and:

“…if they improve my home 3UK network signal, that’s no bad thing as far as I’m concerned, and well worthy of a few hours of no signal.”

3 has asked us to share some important information with you, which will affect coverage in the London area in the short term, but will benefit the wider network of UK customers in the long term.

The improvement work is scheduled on 3’s London network, and is due to start on November the 2^nd.

The work is part of 3’s ongoing drive to keep network standards as high as possible across the UK.

3 already have the UK’s biggest 3G network, and clearly this is a position that it wishes not only to maintain, but to improve upon still further.

The work is due to be completed by Christmas, and disruption to customers should be minimal. As the work is carried out, each site being worked on will be out of action for up to 8 hours. During that time:

• Mobile Broadband users won’t be able to connect
• Phone customers may notice an increase in the number of dropped calls

To minimise any disruption, 3 has provided a service where you can sign up for free text alerts about engineering taking place in your area. Just go to www.three.co.uk/london and follow the on page instructions.

If you need any further advice then we’re happy to help. We’ll also be compiling questions for the 3 team, so let us know if there’s any additional info you’d like to know – just drop us a line in the comments or email phil@3mobilebuzz.com

Ian Miller has posted a review of 3’s Mobile WiFi device, complete with videos. As well as an unboxing Ian also shows us the simple connecting procedure and the capabilities of the connection for browsing, using chat software, and so on.

“The killer for me was being able to use Skype on the go. Those who use iPhones know that its Skype app has quashed the ability to make Skype Calls over 3G, it will only allow it on wifi. Well, now my iPhone had wifi, albeit mobile connection from inside my bag, but crucially, its still wifi. So I was able to walk around making Skype calls.”

He’s also thought of another useful application of the technology,

“I am considering reccomending [sic] the school I work at invests in one to allow groups to use offsite on trips, so that updates can be communicated back to base and students with wifi devices can get a few free minutes to catch up.”

Ian ends his review with a positive comparison against standard mobile broadband dongles. Whilst their software can sometimes be difficult to set up, “MIFI has no software, just a wifi, which makes it a product that’s instantly a thousand times more preferable.”

3’s new Mifi service has been a big talking point of late. The opportunity to simultaneously connect multiple devices to a single mobile broadband connection has some interesting implications – one of which is summed up by Andrew Orlowski over at The Register:

“…a month with the MiFi - courtesy of network 3 UK - has prompted me to think the unthinkable, and consider ditching my iPhone. Or at least go far enough down that road to do the sums”

Why? Because “With a MiFi, I’d have a data connection wherever there’s a 3 network connection… So [iPod] Touch applications such as Mail, Maps and Safari suddenly become viable alternatives” Continue reading…

At the Mobile Choice Consumer Awards 2009 3UK triumphed taking home the title for best mobile broadband package. The news has been covered by Broadband Choices, Broadband Expert, Mobile Shop, Cable.co.uk and Top 10 Broadband.

It was the bundle of a Samsung N130 netbook with a 15GB data allowance and 100 free texts for £25 per month that saw the award head 3’s way. The judges said of the package,

“A mighty 15GB makes this tariff a market leader, reflecting the requirements of real life like those data-sapping media transfers. Featuring an additional 100 free texts per month, this two year deal from 3 costs just £25 per month, and makes 3 the clear winner of Best Mobile Broadband package.”

In response to the success Marc Allera, sales and marketing director for 3 said,

“We are delighted to be recognised as winners for our Mobile Broadband year on year and to be able to offer our customers deals that are great value for money.”

Last year 3 won the Tariff of the Year award and as Broadband Expert states this most recent victory is another ‘feather in the cap’ of the provider as it aims to make mobile communication accessible to all.

It seems a fairly bold statement to say the least from Carphone Warehouse’s chief executive Charles Dunstone,

“We get a sense that the mobile broadband thing has peaked. We are seeing some of those people begin to realise that the bandwidth you get on mobile is so much less than you get on a fixed line.”

The company’s direction has clearly moved toward fixed broadband, so such statements are in line with the direction that they’re taking, but peaked? Maybe it’s a reaction to the news that Talk Talk, Carphone’s fixed-line business, has seen further growth for the second quarter running. Even so, the point on which this story gets into trouble is highlighted by Broadband Genie,

“[…] few would argue that mobile broadband was ever really mooted as a replacement for fixed-line alternatives - yet, anyway.”

As the mobile industry progresses though this possibility is certainly beginning to increase in size on the mobile data horizon. In opposition of Dunstone’s comments is Andrew Cowie’s post at the Guardian, contemplating an entirely different perspective,

“Is it time to lose the landline and just have a mobile phone for calls and a 3G broadband dongle for the internet?”

The argument for one or the other is currently settled on issues of coverage and what it is you do online… but will one eventually marginalise the other?

The latest member of the 3mobilebuzz fold to get their hands on a 3UK MiFi is Geek Computers, who’ve wasted no time in getting a review of the device posted. The analysis of the device goes from first impressions through to software, hardware as well as few tests along the way.

“My first impressions when the box arrived were this could have been a product from Apple, very clean looking well packaged and immediately you are thinking it’s a smart looking piece of equipment.”

So, on the aesthetics front MiFi does well, but to find out about the real nuts and bolts of how it fared click through. However one bit of performance information that is well worth mentioning is how the device did in the Geek Computer ‘Stress Test’,

“At not one point did it seem to struggle with the load. […] I was very impressed.”

Find out about that ‘load’ and a host of other details in the full Geek Computer review.

In a feature posted today on the BBC site it has been stated that smartphones such as the Apple iPhone, the Nokia N97 and the HTC Hero are all proving extremely popular despite the recession. The ability to store all of your media in one place and the added extra of music, games and apps is proving a strong selling tool, encouraging consumers to dig deep despite the economic climate.

“The smartphone is really not a smartphone. It’s really a GPS device, it’s a camera, and a video camera and a place that you can play games and you can browse, and oh by the way, you can make calls.” Says Google boss Eric Schmidt.

Over the next few years we will see more and more exciting technology released such as manufacturers compete to be able to offer consumers the best mobile experience. It hints at the start of a revolution in personal computing.

Speaking of new technology, UKGadgeteer has posted about the recent Mifi feedback session. Read it here.

Yesterday evening we hosted a feedback session on 3UK’s mobile wireless service MiFi.

We held the discussion via Tangler and the questions and answers flowed relatively smoothly (moderated marvellously by our very own Cally). Joining Cally were 3’s Sarah, consumer PR manager and David Kerrigan who is head of internet products and services.

Offering feedback and questions were five of our MiFi trialists, @UKGadgeteer, @reyes, @bensmithuk, @liamgh and @adonisdemon. One of the main topics was the MiFi interface, and that deciphering what the lights meant was a little tricky. The guys felt that for mass appeal maybe a LCD screen, if it could be done cheaply, would be the answer. However, this was only the tip of the Tangler discussion ice-berg. For all of what was said, including some off-topic banter on Android devices have a read of the discussion here.

If you’d like to get involved in trials and sessions similar to the above then get in touch by emailing Cally or dropping us a tweet.

At the StudentRoom J4GGYBoss has started quite a debate by enquiring about free internet and mentioning getting access to Bebo and Facebook.

Fellow contributors to the boards are quick to help, and while a sort of sub-thread has developed on the meaning of ‘free’, members such as Illusionary, Vokes and Noodles offer advice covering the details of SIMs from a variety of operators.

To add your own thoughts and to see what the StudentRoom members are saying follow the link.

Further updates from MiFi trialists, this time in the form of a couple of blog posts and tweets from gtvone and Lloyd Davis.

These guys have had differing experiences of 3’s MiFi device – Lloyd unfortunately has struggled getting a signal in his flat meaning that his testing took place on the hoof, which was no bad thing. On the other hand though was gtvone who has been connected all over the place while out and about exercising his photography skills, notably a Jeff Beck gig!

Lloyd is excited by the idea of MiFi, but found the experience frustrating due to the signal trouble. He also makes an interesting analogy on the issue of having it tied to a single network; click through to read about it and share your thoughts.

The Jeff Beck gig experience covered by gtvone was quite different, with a good signal the device excelled allowing him to update on from the venue,

“This post was brought to you, literally, by the 3 Mobile, Mobile Broadband Device - MiFi. […] I can confirm that I would use it on a live deadline gig…”

Have you tried MiFi yet? If so let us know.

Recently 3UK were nominated in three categories for the Top 10 Broadband Awards 2009. The good news is that 3 triumphed taking home,

“The Best Value Mobile Broadband Award for their Mobile Broadband Max product, sweeping aside stiff competition.” The judges noted “Combining a low monthly cost of just £15 with a monthly data allowance of 15GB, […] offers outstanding value for money.”

The existence of the awards shows the growing prevalence of mobile broadband as a necessary service, something backed by figures as described by Top 10 Broadband’s Kimberly Howson,

“An investigation by the global media market research group Screen Digest has revealed that the usage of dongle devices rose by 800 per cent between 2006 and 2008.”

This is reflected in 3’s own research with the first six months of this year showing a 170% rise in mobile broadband consumers. And, with 3 endeavouring to make mobile communication in all forms available to everyone, the award of Best Value Mobile Broadband is an important achievement.

If you’ve got thoughts on how the mobile internet industry is moving forward, then leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you.