One of the frequent questions we get asked is “can I get broadband without a landline telephone?”. Until recently the answer was for the vast majority of people “no” (there are some other options but they tend to be horrendously expensive or only available in very small areas).
However now things are changing, and the first realistic broadband without a landline option is now available.
It works by giving you what is essentially a modem which works over the mobile phone network rather than the fixed line telephone network. This is made possible by a new technology called High Speed Downlink Packet Access or HSDPA, but this is quite a mouthful so its better known as Mobile Broadband.
While it is not new to be able to use the internet over the mobile telephone network what is new is that the mobile operators have put in place the following:
- Fixed monthly price
- USB modem so it can be used on laptop and desktop computers
Now there are still a few differences between mobile broadband and fixed line broadband:
- fixed line has higher potential top speeds at present
- high speed Mobile broadband coverage is not universal all over the country
But for some people there will be some great advantages, these people will include, those who are on the road frequently and people in short term accommodation.
