Dongle Wars

People are now spending more and more of their time on the internet, whether it be checking your bank account, internet shopping or checking your Facebook or MySpace account, we all use the internet more than we used too. This increase in internet usage means that we want the cheapest and best service. It’s no surprise then that the mobile phone networks have recently released broadband dongles that simply plug into your computer and off you go. You don’t need a landline to get up and running and prices are pretty good value for money.

Three have dominated the market over the last few months, but Vodafone have come into the running by lowering their prices to match Three’s as well as going on a mammoth advertising campaign.

Three have now lodged an official complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority against Vodafone regarding claims about their broadband speeds. Three advertises broadband speeds of up to 2.8Mbps even though it uses 3.6Mbps technology. Vodafone advertise speeds of 7.2Mbps in London and in airports, and these speeds will reach major cities later this year. They also claim that they have 80% coverage through 1.8Mbps and are aiming towards 3.6Mbps for 50% of the population by this summer.

Three are arguing that because of the complexity of mobile broadband even if you use 3.6Mbps technology the customer is unlikely to experience these speeds. Three are arguing that Vodafone’s home broadband speeds are ‘misleading’ and ‘unlikely to be achieved’. Three claim that their 3G coverage is much more extensive than Vodafone’s.

We shall await the outcome to see which network has the best 3G coverage and broadband speeds.

This and many other articles on mobile phones and the latest mobile phone deals was written by John Gray.

John Gray's writing can often be found at http://www.onecompare.com.