3 Dongle Review
Back in 2007, Mobile Broadband company 3 altered the mobile broadband market considerably by slashing its prices and launching a wide array of extremely affordable broadband packages.
At the time of launch, 3 spokesman John Penberthy-Smith indicated that the company’s goal going forward was to make mobile broadband accessible anywhere in the world at a price accessible to anyone.
Today, 3 still offers some of the more cost effective packages on the market. Typical plans have a high monthly download allowance, in some cases up to 15 gigabytes a month.
Mobile Broadband Speed and Coverage
At the moment the highest bandwidth speed available on the 3 Network is 7.2Mb/s, albeit such numbers are typically gained on an open line. Realistically, bandwidth speeds will fluctuate depending on a variety of factors, such as distance from the local mobile masts, the number of other users currently on the network, and obstructions such as tall buildings or trees. Typically users will get top speeds of up to 5.6Mb/s.
The largest mobile broadband network in the UK, 3 covers about 97% of the total population. Nevertheless, potential subscribers should check to be sure that coverage is supplied in their area.
3 Mobile coverage Checker
3 Mobile Broadband Deals
Depending on your usage, 3 has a wide expanse of monthly mobile broadband packages to suit your needs. You can purchase a package with a fair usage download limit of 1, 5, or 15 gigabytes, with additional data priced at 10p per megabyte. Contracts are offered from anywhere between 1 to 24 months.
Generally the larger duration contracts come with cheaper offers or more free perks in exchange for less flexibility to change plans.
Pay as you go and rolling one-month contracts are available for those who don’t want to commit long term. 3 offers rolling one-month deals for £15.99 a month with a 5 gigabyte download limit. Buyers will have to purchase a separate dongle which sells for as little as £4.99.
For those who want to keep their current mobile dongle, or want to switch from a monthly plan to a pay as you go deal, 3 now offers SIM card only packages as well. These can also be purchased with a rolling one month contracts and a 5 gigabyte data cap for only £15.99 a month.
Free Mobile Broadband Laptops
3 has an extensive supply of free laptops from brand names such as Samsung, Acer, Compaq and Toshiba. As laptops typically consume copious amounts of data, 3 packages have built in allowances for both medium and heavy data consumers.
The quality of the laptop provided often hinges on signing a long term contract. Most pay as you go plans require a separate purchase.
Mobile Wi-Fi from 3
For customers who wish to turn their mobile broadband connection into a hotspot, 3 offers Mobile Wi-Fi or MiFi routers to allow users to attach a number of wireless gadgets into a single network. Whether it’s gaming devices, media centres, laptops or handsets, the MiFi modem allows you to create a mobile network on the go.
In terms of pricing, 3′s Mobile Wi-Fi also comes in an abundance of options, from long term deals to pay as you go plans to one month rolling contracts, depending on the consumer’s individual needs.
It’s even better than my fixed line connection was in terms of speed and reliability. So much so that I got rid of my fixed line 10 months ago. I completely rely on Three for both telephony and broadband. Three’s mobile broadband is just fabulous.
Been with 3 for two years 5gb for 8 pounds a month use it in a galaxy tab and its been great. Service has got better and better never loose signal always fast. I use vodafone on a nexus one as well its not so fast and service is not so good.
Have been with 3 for approx 4 years, and have never looked back. Mobile broadband coverage beats everyone else hands down, and the speeds are very close to normal fixed ADSL broadband speeds. Overall, extremely happy and impressed with their service.