Mobile broadband connects the unconnectable
TALK ABOUT connecting the unconnected. The INQ has just discovered that mobile operator 3 UK has been connecting the previously unconnectable with its mobile broadband offering.
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair had the socially disadvantaged in mind when he was urging the ICT industry to help get all UK citizens onto the net.
But effectively what 3 UK is doing is getting the large number of the previously 'disenfranchised' onto the internet. These are people who actually have the money but for various reasons can't get fixed line access.
3 UK is, of course, naturally very wary of talking about to this type of clientelle. What a 3 UK spokesman would say, however, is, "Our prepay mobile broadband offers have opened up broadband to people who have never had good access before."
If you're a student or you're living in rented accommodation, then the prospect of an 18-month fixed line contract makes little sense and it's also expensive.
Alternatively, your address might have a poor credit rating for any number of reasons. [A previous partner, for example.]
Or you simply plan to move house in a few months. All of these things are barriers to fixed broadband.
"We're pleased 3's prepay mobile broadband offering - which gives the same in-bundle pricing as our equivalent contract offering - is connecting such people," added the spokesbod.
The beauty of mobile broadband from the likes of 3 UK is, of course, that you don't have to pass credit checks or even have a fixed abode to sign up to the prepaid version of mobile broadband.
All you need is a computer, a USB port and a decent signal from the nearest 3 mast.
This might help explain why 3 UK has sold some 500,000 mobile broadband dongles when its actual total subscriber base is only three million plus.
So that's something like one in six customers are just using mobile broadband rather than voice. Impressive.µ
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Was quite excited for a moment but on looking its still a 12 month contract. Nice that you can fund it with top up vouchers but still...

I want it like in the USA were with t-mobile you pay a dollar of your payg credit and you get a day of internet use. Then when I'm on a train journey I can have internet without having to maintain a contract all year long when I mostly don't need it. 

With all these netbooks and such around they really should start offering casual plans to let people use them on the move.
Google EV-DO in NS for my blog about using mobile Internet to connect my house in the forest to the Internet.

You need to have the right plan. Wrong plan and my bill last month would have been $1.3 million for 45GB.

For years, laptop users have wanted a service that would let them connect anywhere. The problem isn't that there aren't enough customers who want it or who are willing to pay for it. Same goes for the U.S. It'd be great to connect anywhere, without having to get a wi-fi signal at the nearest coffee house or hotel.
The USB modem for the PAYG is a rip off £50 for it and then you can top it up from £10 for 1GB = 30hrs, £15 3GB = 100hrs & £15 = 7GB = 200hr.

My friend just got it for her birthday last weekend its not painfully slow not fast either the connection sometimes stalls occasionally. It's a good thing for student and occasional web surfers. I just feel the modem is a rip off it's the USB 1 with the SIM card in it for £50 you expect the do called faster version.
I'm confused, I recently bought a Three PAYG modem and it isn't tied into a contract, you just top it up when you want to use it.

Only problem I found is the high data charges compared to my home broadband and the patchy coverage (I get a 3G signal by my front door and that's about it). When I get coverage it works fairly well, well enough for me to connect to VPNs, check my e-mail and browse L'inq.

No doubt eventually the prices (like everything) will drop to something more affordable.

Rob
3 already provides casual Internet access for 50 pence for one day of Internet on your 3G/3.5G mobile phone, £2.50 for one week or £5 for one month.
It's not great to have to hold the keyboard all the time vs a PC keyboard sitting on the table, but it's cheap enough, no strigns attached and no contract.
Should be a bit faster though, and I'm using the 3.5G N95 8GB.