3 sells out of USB modems

3 UK has totally sold out of its allocation of USB 3G modems. Which isn't bad going since the product was only really launched back on 4th September. A 3 spokesman wasn't that unhappy, though.

"3's Mobile Broadband offer has been hugely successful," a 3 spokesman told the INQ. "We've sold our first allocation, exceeded our targets and are working hard to meet demand."

It's not a bad position to be in, really. Interestingly 3 claims a mere 2.8 Mbit/s throughput speed for its latest 'Turbo' network which utilises HSDPA technology.

That's curious because Ericsson claims its gear - sold to 3 Scandinavia - can actually offer 7.2 Mbit/s on the download with uplink speeds of 1.4 Mbit/s.

Still, 2.8 Mbit/s is a lot better than some people get out of their DSL/fixed broadband connexions. The INQ wonders whether the fact the entry level tariff is "a tenner a month" is more than just a co-incidence.

Old farts will remember that dial up consumer access to the Internet - a revolutionary concept at the time - was started on a Cix conference called a-tenner-a-month. Cix was - and still is - also way ahead of its time - a social network before the term had even been coined.

Oh, and if you want to be sure to get a USB 3G modem from the next batch, 3 says it is taking pre-orders online. µ

L'INQS
3 modem
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