Orange Mobile Broadband - The Basics

With mobile broadband it is possible to gain access to broadband speed internet on the move, rather than being tied to the house or to the office. It has a number of advantages over wireless or cable broadband as you can send and receive e-mails anywhere, not just in the home, and can transfer files no matter where you are, for example, in more remote areas where only a mobile signal is possible. This can open up a number of uses for both personal and business use, giving users guaranteed access to the sea of information that broadband offers no matter where they are.

One mobile provider is Orange who provides Orange mobile broadband on a number of different packages which make getting access to broadband speed Internet simpler than ever before. There are two main packages which cost £15 and £25.

With the £15 package you have access to Orange mobile broadband at a download rate of 1.8Mbps, even on the move, and a generous download limit of 3GB per month. Roughly, this is the equivalent of 100 hours of browsing on the Internet, sending or receiving 2000 plain text emails or downloading 200 music tracks.

And it's even easy to set up. All you need to do is sign up for the service, which has an 18-month contract, and an adaptor, called a 'Dongle', is sent in the post to you, arriving in 3-5 working days. As soon as you receive your Dongle you are ready to go, all that is required is that you plug it in, follow the on screen prompts, and you're ready to browse the internet almost immediately.

Included in the £15 a month charge is lots of extras. There are no hidden landline or connection charges and it is compatible with both PCs and Apple Macs so there is no need to configure the device to either one. In addition, you can use your Dongle on any PC or laptop, not just the one you set it up on. This means that using Orange mobile broadband on the move is simpler than it has ever been before; as long as you have the Dongle you can connect to the Internet no matter where you are and without any hassle.

However, the 1.8Mbps download rate is subject to the area in which you want to use the orange mobile broadband. Whilst coverage is generally very good, certain conditions can affect it. For instance, tunnels, dips, cuttings and wooded areas can be problematic and in moving vehicles, for example trains and cars, which have no external antenna, Orange service signal will be affected. Orange does make allowances for this though with a generous returns policy. If you receive your Dongle and realise that you do not have sufficient coverage where you primarily want to use it, Orange will give you your money back providing that all items are returned in the packaging that they came in and this is done within two weeks of purchase.

Alternatively, there is a different package which offers Orange mobile broadband as well as the Eee PC. In this package you pay £25 a month on a 24 month contract and you receive the orange Dongle as well as an Asus Eee PC 900. With 16GB of memory for your files and coming with the full Windows XP package, the laptop alone is worth £299.

The compact laptop is perfect for use on the go, weighing a mere 0.99 kg and with an 8.9'' screen; you will have no problems accessing the Internet at home, work or on the move. And with two and a half hours of battery life, it's perfect to use on long journeys or during periods where you are away from the office for a long time.

Similarly to the £15 package, the £25 package comes with an Orange Dongle which is easy to set up by following the on screen prompts and has a download limit of 3GB and a connection speed of up to 1.8Mbps. However, on top of this you also get an added 100 free texts from your PC.

However, with both packages once you have used up your 3GB of usage you will be charged at the 'out of bundle' rates. This equates to 1.46p per MG or £15 per GB and spare usage doesn't carry over. Each month you are allocated another 3GB regardless of how much you've used in the previous month. In addition, once you have signed up for the 18 or 24 month contract you are tied to it for the duration as you cannot change your tariff until the current one expires.

Both the Dongle and the laptop also come with warranties so that if they were to break you can receive a replacement free of charge. For the Dongle this lasts 12 months and for the laptop this lasts 24 months. In addition, there are customer service support lines which can help you if you are experiencing any problems with the Dongle, the laptop or the Orange mobile broadband itself.

It is also worth baring in mind that it is possible to pay for Orange mobile broadband via Direct Debit, cheque, or credit card. However, you are charged £3.50 each time you chose to pay by credit card or cheque, therefore for the best value package it is best to pay via Direct Debit to ensure you get the best price for your broadband. In addition, there is a delivery charge if you decide to have the Dongle or laptop delivered to your house rather than picking it up from your local Orange shop. This varies depending on the time of delivery. If delivered on a weekday before 12 you will be charged £3.99 or before 10 a.m. £8.98. On Saturdays before 10 a.m. it is £17.98, before 12 it is £15.99 and after 12 it is £11.98.