Hi Tony,

come visit Austria, you'll get your 7.2 MBit fix...by Vodafone (Telekom Austria, a partner network), no less. We have several 3G data providers as well, with various PAYG options. You can also buy unlocked 3G dongles here for under 100€, for example at Hofer/Aldi (home of Medion).

I had major trouble with an E220. Being from good ol' South Africa I also went through the same websites, with the same conclusions.

Anyway here was my problem plus solution. E220 refused update firmware.

Answer was to never run AnyDVD. It messed with the way the E220 installs it software through a virtual CD-ROM drive, and AnyDVD attempts to make the drive region-free.

The article was reading well until I got to the part about ..

"Huawei doesn't tell you this but these upgrades are supplied as compressed (.zip) files and you'll probably need a freeware unzip package, like 7zip, to get to them."

Zip & Unzip functionality is a core Windows Explorer feature in XP and Vista, since October 25, 2001.. ..but who's counting?

There's a battle going on in Canada right now. The short version is that midget telco Telus is terminating all so-called "Unlimited" wireless data accounts. The real issue is that Telus naively contracted some of their EV-DO 3G coverage with a competing carrier (stoopid! stoopid! stoopid!). And so any client that is using more than about 5GB per month under their expensive so-called "Unlimited" data plan is getting terminated.

Google the terms: Telus "Connect 75 Unlimited" for the details if you're interested and/or are affected and need to learn how to file a formal complaint.


Although pay as you go, go mobile still costs about 10p per MB, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than roaming... sigh the ZTE modems still can't be unlocked :(