To be honest, it can be a confusing job to find a mobile broadband carrier and plan that fits your needs.
The ASDL-based broadband we've been used to for years now are almost always based on flat-rate contracts. Flat rate in this context means same price each month no matter how much you use it. With ADSL broadband we've been spared, especially during the later years, to think about anything else than the upload and download speeds. Sure, there are still things that can affect your service level, such as the distance to your telephone central. The distance was a major influence on the decision making in the early years. But today, as a consumer, you hardly notice the difference between the 24Mbit promised and the 20Mbit delivered.
It's a bit different with mobile broadband. With mobile broadband there are a lot of things you have to take into account when choosing your mobile broadband plan. Some of these things we recognize from the ASDL plans, others can leave you confused because you have no background information to base your decisions on. Very Catch-22, but that's unfortunately how it is.
Many of the plans come with binding periods. That means that when you sign up (save the "regret period"), you're stuck with that plan for up to two years. For that reason, what you want as a consumer, of course, is to make the right decision from the beginning. This means that you have to think through some of the angles of the plan. The two major angles are:
First: How is the coverage in your part of the country, in your city and especially in your house / apartment? Some carriers have more or less advanced coverage maps (http://glu.tre.se/coverixwww/Default.aspx / http://www.three.co.uk/_popup/Coverage_checker). I like the idea behind this initiative, however, the truth is that no matter how good and updated the maps are, they cannot be 100% relied upon. My sister, for example, lives in the middle of a Turbo 3G+ area on such a map, but because her apartment is placed where it is, she has jumpy mobile broadband. So does a colleague at work. So how to you really know if you place has good coverage? The truth is, that you can't. No from the maps anyway. You might have a pretty good chance of having it but there are no guarantees. The best you can do is to find a friend or someone else who has mobile broadband from the carrier you are interested in, and let them go online from where you would go online.
Second: Most mobile broadband plans come with different upper data transfer limits. You will typically find 2, 5 or 10 GB limits. Just as with coverage, you'll be forced to choose your data transfer limit based on almost no insight about your data usage. Even the most nerdy of my friends wouldn't be able to give a straight answer on how to get insight on personal data usage. There are probably some cool sniffer / hacke-dy-hack programs that can give you exact insight, sure, but can you really expect on normal consumers to have access to those? In my opinion no. So, if you want to make an informed decision, read and learn. Personally, I've been posting my data usage here for some months now, and will continue to do so. From that you can get some basic data usage insight based on my usage profile. Some carriers, like 3 UK, have tried to make it easier for potential customers by making a calculator online: http://www.three.co.uk/Mobile_Broadband/Recommend_a_plan However, it's simple and the relatively vague answer it gives does not measure up to the very hard limit you will have on your mobile broadband plan. Again, as the map, it's a tool to give you an idea. In the end, you may narrow it down, but will not know the exact answer until you get the mobile broadband yourself.
This post is not meant to discourage you from getting mobile broadband. Based on my own experiences, on the contrary! And, of course, there are independent web sites such as http://www.top10-broadband.co.uk/mobile_broadband/ who can lead you to the best deal. But, again, some of the things they offer you to select them upon are based on the same things as mentioned above (speed / coverage / data), and assume that you know these things. Luckily, by now, a lot of people have acquired mobile broadband and chances are that you might know someone, who can help you. So, it's not impossible, just a little bit harder.
If you have any questions about mobile broadband, please don't hesitate to contact me. However, don't ask me on how the coverage is in you area. I will most likely not know (unless you're willing to pay the ticket and I'll come by and go online near you! :-)
