Coverage

There is no point in having a mobile internet connection if you can never use it. Different companies boast better coverage in different areas, so it may be worth checking their websites to see who can provide you with the best facility for where you live or work. The best coverage will not necessarily be provided by the most expensive provider, so do some research to avoid spending a lot of money for broadband that you can’t use.

Added Extras

Many contracts will offer freebies in an attempt to entice you to signing up for a contract. These freebies could be anything from a mobile broadband dongle to a laptop. It is important to remember that it’s rare for something to be completely free in today’s expensive society, so check to see if your monthly bill will actually be more than you would have paid had you purchased the freebie separately and simply paid for the broadband contract.

Contract Length

The price that you pay per month may well be affected by how long you are prepared to be contracted to a certain company for. 24 month contracts are becoming more common these days, as in a contract of this length you can expect to see your monthly bills reduced. Don’t want to sign up to a contract? Consider a pay as you go mobile broadband solution to save being signed up for a significant period of time.

Speed

The mobile broadband speed that you need will depend on the reason that you use it. If you will be doing significant amounts of surfing via your mobile connection you will certainly need it to be quick enough to suffice. However, if you only intend to check your email once every now and then you may be able to make do with a slower connection speed.

Data Limit

Downloading on a mobile broadband network will cost you, so it is important to consider exactly how much you will be downloading before signing up to a contract. If you wish to download songs, movie clips and more then ensure you opt for a large data limit on your contract to avoid being stung with large and unexpected bills. Alternatively, save money by choosing a contract with a smaller data limit if you only require your mobile broadband connection for occasional use.

Cost

The cost that different companies will offer for their mobile broadband connections does vary considerably, so ensure you check each of the five above elements to a contract to find the best deal for your individual circumstances. This will help you to keep your costs to a minimum, while still enjoying the mobile broadband connection that you require.

Why the Most Expensive Mobile Broadband Package Is Not Always the Best is a post from: Broadband Hub - Mobile Broadband Comparison

Unfortunately though, things aren’t quite as simple as mobile broadband technology has always suffered with frightfully low speeds, and serious connectivity issues. Even in built up areas you could occasionally struggle for signal as you strive to check your internet connection. With so many people jumping on board and connecting to mobile internet through laptop computers or other portable devices such as smartphones, the network has been seriously struggling to cope.

However, now there is cause for hope in Australia, as Stephen Conroy, the minister for broadband and communications, has recently announced that 126 MHz of the broadcasting spectrum is to be released to help to grant access to high speed mobile internet for the masses.

Many of the mobile broadband providers will be rejoicing at the news which will enable them to provide a better service to their customers. And, although there stands to be a delay before this broadcasting bandwidth is freed up, at least the future is bright for the mobile internet user in Australia.

Toward the end of 2013, all analog television signals will be switched off in Australia, being replaced with digital signals all round. It is this changeover that will free up the promised 126 MHz of the broadcasting spectrum. We have a few years to wait then until the spectrum is cleared of all analog users, but with the prospect of a faster connection to mobile internet, you can rest assured that this technology will be pushed through as fast as is possible.

There is no denying that the ability to access the internet on the move is growing in popularity with each passing month. Although developments such as this, providing an improvement to the technology, may help to ease the pain of a slow connection, there is much work still to be done by both the broadband networks available in the country, and the broadband providers.

Undoubtedly then, we can expect to hear of more and more updates as time goes by as it seems certain that mobile broadband is a technology not set to diminish any time soon. Perhaps the solution will come in the form of a 4G network or just in significant improvements to our current 3G connections. Whatever it may be, you can rest assured that progress is being made in order to allow us fast broadband access wherever we may be.

Fast Mobile Broadband on the Horizon in Australia is a post from: Broadband Hub - Mobile Broadband Comparison

To fix the fault and emphasise the point of Steve Jobs that “we care about every user”, Apple is now offering a free case to anyone that has purchased an iPhone 4. This case should fix any signal problems, and is certainly the cheaper option for the company when compared with recalling every phone for repair.

Obtaining your free case is simple; all you need to do is register on the Apple website from the 22nd of July. Unfortunately though, it seems there aren’t enough cases on the shelves at present for every user, so you may be forced to wait for some time while more stock is sourced and created. The free case offer will continue until the 30th of September so ensure you have registered before this date if you yourself are suffering from reception issues with your own iPhone 4.

Apple announced their solution to the problem at a recent press conference, called after negative reports of customer service started to circulate via social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter, and even video sharing website YouTube. Steve Jobs was insistent that this particular problem is not one common only to the iPhone, even showing videos of other smartphones featuring the same issue during the conference itself. Insisting that the problem “has been blown so out of proportion, it’s incredible” Jobs insisted that the entire industry must work to remedy the common fault.

The problem with the iPhone 4 stems from the fact that the phone’s antennas are actually housed within the unique steel alloy from which the phone case is created. When you hold the phone on the left hand side, the gap between two of these antennas is bridged which can dramatically lower the signal received, and may even cause calls to be cut.

The solution is simple and low-tech, and involves placing a rubber “bumper” around the phone itself. This bumper prevents the two antennas from meeting, effectively eliminating the problem altogether.

Customers that still aren’t happy with the solution even after receiving their free iPhone 4 case may also return the phone, so long as it is within 30 days of the initial purchase, for a complete refund.

It seems unlikely that this small error on the part of Apple and the iPhone will damage the company in the long run. However the angry reaction of the public to the slow speed at which Apple actually responded to the issue has certainly dampened the otherwise flawless reputation of the company.

Free iPhone 4 Cases Offered to All Customers is a post from: Broadband Hub - Mobile Broadband Comparison

Home Broadband Connections

There is no denying that there are many advantages to having access to a high speed internet connection in the home. Your emails are never more than a quick click away, you can stay up to date with the latest news and even your kids could benefit from researching their schoolwork within the internet’s vast information reserves.

A home broadband connection such as ADSL or cable can provide you with a very quick way to access any information that you need. It also provides the freedom to download movies, TV shows, music, games and much, much more within a reasonable period of time. Although the different speeds that you can expect to receive from your broadband connection will differ based on your location and how much you are willing to pay per month for your contract, you can rest assured that you will receive a reasonably fast connection.

The downside to a home broadband connection then, is that you can’t pick it up and take it with you. A wireless router could certainly help you to enjoy the internet from every room, and even from your garden, but once on the train commuting to work you will leave it behind.

Mobile Broadband Connections

Enter the mobile broadband connection. A mobile broadband dongle or datacard can be taken wherever you may go, allowing access to the internet wherever you can get a connection. Although there are still many areas with a limited signal, it is improving all the time as more and more Australians start to utilise this technology to access the World Wide Web.

Mobile broadband isn’t just for the move though, as it can also be used effectively as your predominant home broadband connection. There are even special routers that provide you with the ability to split the signal, allowing other users to access your mobile internet connection wirelessly, just as if you had a wireless router though a normal home broadband connection.

Of course there must be a downside, and it comes in the form of the speed and download limits that you can expect to receive from a mobile broadband contract. As already mentioned, the signal strength is improving all the time, as is the speed and ability to download more cost effectively.

Choosing Your Connection

Until mobile broadband is fast enough to contend with a home broadband connection it may not be suitable for your downloading needs. But without the ability to connect to the mobile network there is no way to access the internet on the go. If both of these things are important to you then, at present, you will need to pay for both contracts.

Keep watching this space though, as mobile broadband technology is swiftly developing. With a 4G network planned, mobile broadband connections could soon be significantly faster than their rivals, making them a sensible choice no matter what you need to access the internet for.

Is it Worth Having a Mobile Broadband and a Home Broadband Connection? is a post from: Broadband Hub - Mobile Broadband Comparison

In our convenience lifestyle it’s no wonder then that eBooks have started to grow in popularity over the last couple of years. The success of this new technology has reached a new milestone now though, as Amazon has announced that, over the last three months, 180 Kindle eBooks have been sold for every 100 hardcover books. For the first time in history, eBooks have outsold their traditional hardcover rivals.

Although the figures released by online retail giant Amazon do not cover the sales of paperback books, it is obvious that eBooks are on the rise. The US in particular has latched onto the eBook market firmly, with the majority of sales coming from this country. However other countries are starting to get to grips with the technology, with Amazon starting to sell its Kindle eBook readers in Australia toward the end of last year.

One possible cause for the recent success of the eBook is the significant drop in price of the Kindle device itself. Many sources claimed that the new iPad from Apple would run the Kindle out of the water, however due to the high price tag associated with the Apple device the cheaper option has certainly maintained its popularity. Even Amazon’s large screen version of the Kindle, only released on the 1st of July, has already seen its price slashed to be cheaper than the cheapest iPad available.

If you are interested in getting hold of a Kindle for yourself to enjoy instant access to a range of different books, you should be aware that the performance of the device is not the same in Australia as can be boasted in the US. The connection to the 3G network to allow you to download new titles can often be painfully slow, due in part to confusion as to who actually provides the broadband coverage for Australian customers. You may also find that less content is available than expected, with many popular Australian authors not present at all.

As eBook technology is still comparatively new, we can certainly expect to see significant updates and improvements to Amazon’s Kindle service within Australia soon. Whether sales of eBooks will continue to rise to overtake that of paperback and hardback books remains to be seen, but it looks likely that this is a technology that is here to stay.

Amazon EBook Sales Higher than Hardbacks for the First Time in History is a post from: Broadband Hub - Mobile Broadband Comparison

The successful test from Optus is only the first phase of study to ascertain the levels of potential return from a 4G network, with further testing planned for later this year. As additional sites will be brought into the test with phase two, the new network will be tested with an increased load to see the effect on its performance, while also demonstrating how it will work with the existing 2G and 3G networks that Optus runs.

Along with continual research and successful testing from other mobile broadband networks, this Optus trial should reassure the Australian public that vastly enhanced mobile internet could be on the way sooner rather than later. Perhaps even as soon as 2012, when television broadcasters will be forced to switch to a digital, rather than an analogue, signal. The freeing up of a section of the spectrum at this time will enable mobile broadband providers to provide a 4G service to their customers and, as it seems likely that the spectrum will be auctioned by the federal government in 2012, we should expect to see significant improvements from that point on.

LTE broadband may well be available before this point in time but, due to spectrum constrictions, will not be as fast as the speeds that we can hope to see from 2012 onwards.

Faster broadband won’t only be coming in the form of mobile internet throughout the next few years though, as the $43 billion endeavour by the federal government to create an Australian national broadband network (NBN) could also see us enjoying vastly improved download speeds in the home.

Although the improvements to mobile broadband have cast some doubts as to the validity of spending so much on creating the NBN, Optus insist that the two technologies will complement each other, rather than driving business away from one another. This is because there will still be a demand to watch high definition television and movies from the home, which a mobile broadband connection will not be able to provide as successfully as a fibre optic network of cables.

As we all still love the ability to access the internet on the move as well as enjoying downloads at home though, it seems that both fast mobile and home internet connections will be around in the future of Australian broadband.

40Mbps Mobile Broadband Speed Demonstrated by Optus is a post from: Broadband Hub - Mobile Broadband Comparison

The first release units are the Portege™ 830, Portege™ 840 and Portege 850™ with additional hardware in the form of 3G Tablets and a Netbook to follow later in the year. All Portege units have an in-built 3G antenna that surrounds the screen, providing stronger reception over traditional 3G USB Modems.

John Beveridge, CEO of Wave C*nnect said “Embedded – or ‘built-in’ – 3G in notebooks provide a number of significant benefits to customers over the traditional USB dongle products on the market”, noting convenience and cost savings are two benefits in addition to better reception.

“Another key benefit for customers is that even though our data offering is bundled, this does not affect the price of the device: we do not insist on term commitment plans and our data plans are prepaid, so there are no nasty bill surprises”, Beverridge said.

WaveC*nnect overs the mobile broadband service over the Vodafone network as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO).

While Laptops and Netbooks with embedded 3G modems have been around for some time, the take up rates with consumers and the business market appears to have been slow as laptops with these features have been expensive versus those without 3G built-in.

WaveC*nnect and Toshiba™ team up to deliver a ‘No Fuss’ way to connect on the move is a post from: Broadband Hub - Mobile Broadband Comparison

Optus will begin to upgrade its existing network from April 2012 which will deliver 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile and mobile broadband services to areas including Newcastle, Port Stephens, the Hunter Valley and Lake Macquarie areas.

Melbourne, Sydney and Perth will also benefit from upgrades by mid-2012, with phase one of the rollout starting in the coming months. Optus indicated that extensive coverage was planned coinciding with a wider 4G LTE handset range to give customers “the best value and choice”.

Optus also announced that it has been granted the first 700Mhz spectrum trial licence, which was previously used to deliver analog free-to-air television services across the country. These trials will begin in Bendigo, Victoria where as of the 5th of May 2011 analog TV signals are no longer being transmitted and the switch to digital TV signals have occurred.

4G LTE services allow for faster download and upload speeds for mobile broadband and associated applications, suggesting that this new technology could be a solid replacement for fixed line broadband services or compete directly with the NBN (National Broadband Network).

The Optus announcement today comes a few weeks after Telstra, and months after Vodafone both announced their plans to begin enhancing their networks with 4G LTE technology bringing what looks like continued competition to mobile services for years to come.

Optus announces 4G LTE upgrades to its network is a post from: Broadband Hub - Mobile Broadband Comparison

3’s website today sported a notice informing visitors that they were taking the next step after merging with Vodafone as VHA two years ago. At the time of the merger, there was much speculation over which brand would eventually supersede the other. 3’s 3G network always covered a smaller footprint than Vodafone’s with 3 customers previously having to roam onto the Telstra network when out of 3 coverage areas, so from a network perspective, the writing was always on the wall for 3 after the merger.

Vodafone have spent considerable time and money in improving their 3G network after continuous problems plagued the service provider over the last 18 months, which caused 375,000 customers to leave citing poor reception and customer service. The improvements to Vodafone’s network are focused on its new 850Mhz network.

Red Bull also recently announced it would be launching a mobile service as an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) on the Vodafone network and we’re sure many Vodafone customers would be hoping that this move won’t further hinder Vodafone’s network performance with the additional subscribers Red Bull hopes to add.

Current Vodafone customers are not being asked to move across until their contract ends or they wish to upgrade.

Vodafone signals the beginning of the end for 3 brand is a post from: Broadband Hub - Mobile Broadband Comparison

Suggestions were made, that while the price points would remain the same as current, more data would be offered on the new plans, effectively making their cheaper or better value depending on how you look at it (glass half full?).

Telstra hasn’t provided any official confirmation of the pricing changes yet.

Telstra to drop prices for LTE launch is a post from: Broadband Hub - Mobile Broadband Comparison