Cable Forum - View Single Post - Mobile broadband - low-ish bandwidth required

qasdfdsaq · 28-10-2014, 13:51

I would say for very occasional use, if speed isn't a huge factor, T-Mobile's pay-per-day/week/month mobile broadband is the best value, £2 a day, £7 a week, £15 a month, 'unlimited' usage subject to fair use policy (which is basically 1GB or 3GB on the month package IIRC, after which you're throttled to 2Mb and restricted to HTTP/HTTPS/POP3/IMAP ports only). Available as SIM only or with a bundled dongle. Not too easy to get hold of now that EE have tried to 'hide' their legacy T-Mobile/Orange brands. 3G only, but they do have the biggest 3G network.

3 UK is the only company doing PAYG broadband on LTE, but also have the least LTE coverage but due to network share with EE, they have it in a few odd places you wouldn't expect:
http://store.three.co.uk/view/search...ufacturerName=
The PAYG + 1/3/12 deals are your best bet, preloaded with data that lasts up to 12-months, after that just top-up and pay-per-day (not sure what the rates are, but starts at 50p for 150Mb). Includes 4G where it's available.

With both the above options you're charged nothing when you do not use it, and top-up credit lasts 'forever' or at least several years, and otherwise just works like a prepay phone which you top up with vouchers or cards.

For an ongoing fee, EE's mobile broadband plans are the best value - 3GB for £15 or 15GB for £20. Although they're 30-day contracts, you have to order a new friggin contract and SIM every time you cancel and want to reactivate so not really a worth it unless you want an ongoing commitment, but at £20 a month it's half the price of a FTTC line already:
http://shop.ee.co.uk/mobile-tariffs/sim-only-data-plans

EE do have PAYG 4G MBB, but only with a dongle, and their run-on rates are quite steep.
[Edit] Not so steep anymore, 1GB for £6 or 10GB for £16. They have by far the widest 4G coverage.

If you're willing to tolerate 3 as a mobile provider (uses EE's 2G for backup anyway, and shares their 3G network), their One plan includes free tethering, i.e. using phone as modem/internet connection for a PC, it used to be unlimited but is now capped at 2GB or 4GB per month depending on plan after which it's £5 per GB IIRC. If you know someone with an older One Plan with unlimited tethering willing to part with it they can transfer it over to you and sometimes goes as low as £15 a month.

28-10-2014, 13:51	#4
qasdfdsaq cf.mega poster Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 11,207	Re: Mobile broadband - low-ish bandwidth required I would say for very occasional use, if speed isn't a huge factor, T-Mobile's pay-per-day/week/month mobile broadband is the best value, £2 a day, £7 a week, £15 a month, 'unlimited' usage subject to fair use policy (which is basically 1GB or 3GB on the month package IIRC, after which you're throttled to 2Mb and restricted to HTTP/HTTPS/POP3/IMAP ports only). Available as SIM only or with a bundled dongle. Not too easy to get hold of now that EE have tried to 'hide' their legacy T-Mobile/Orange brands. 3G only, but they do have the biggest 3G network. 3 UK is the only company doing PAYG broadband on LTE, but also have the least LTE coverage but due to network share with EE, they have it in a few odd places you wouldn't expect: http://store.three.co.uk/view/search...ufacturerName= The PAYG + 1/3/12 deals are your best bet, preloaded with data that lasts up to 12-months, after that just top-up and pay-per-day (not sure what the rates are, but starts at 50p for 150Mb). Includes 4G where it's available. With both the above options you're charged nothing when you do not use it, and top-up credit lasts 'forever' or at least several years, and otherwise just works like a prepay phone which you top up with vouchers or cards. For an ongoing fee, EE's mobile broadband plans are the best value - 3GB for £15 or 15GB for £20. Although they're 30-day contracts, you have to order a new friggin contract and SIM every time you cancel and want to reactivate so not really a worth it unless you want an ongoing commitment, but at £20 a month it's half the price of a FTTC line already: http://shop.ee.co.uk/mobile-tariffs/sim-only-data-plans EE do have PAYG 4G MBB, but only with a dongle, and their run-on rates are quite steep. [Edit] Not so steep anymore, 1GB for £6 or 10GB for £16. They have by far the widest 4G coverage. If you're willing to tolerate 3 as a mobile provider (uses EE's 2G for backup anyway, and shares their 3G network), their One plan includes free tethering, i.e. using phone as modem/internet connection for a PC, it used to be unlimited but is now capped at 2GB or 4GB per month depending on plan after which it's £5 per GB IIRC. If you know someone with an older One Plan with unlimited tethering willing to part with it they can transfer it over to you and sometimes goes as low as £15 a month.