3 the mobile broadband provider came top in 10 out of 12 categories in a recent YouGov survey and beat off rivals including Vodafone to be named the UK’s best mobile broadband provider.

3’s mobile broadband network covers more than 95% of the UK and through some of the best deals on the market, including 15GB for just £15 a month and some of the most competitive iPad packages, 35% of all mobile broadband customers are now signed up to 3.

Joe Parker, 3’s director of mobile broadband, said: “It’s great that our customers have rated us the Number One Mobile Broadband provider in the UK.

“It is a customer endorsement of the massive investment we have been putting into our network over the past two years and the speed at which this programme is developing. The network continues to grow in reach, speed and capacity.

“It also shows that what customers value most when it comes to mobile broadband are reliability, speed, coverage, ease of use and great pricing – areas where we excel in the latest YouGov survey.”

Over the last 18 months, 3 has extended its network from 7,500 sites at the end of 2008 to more than 11,400 today – a figure that’s set to rise to 12,500 sites by the end of the year, further improving 3’s mobile broadband coverage.

 Previously, customers signing up to some “free laptop” deals from O2 had to pay a connect ion fee to get their laptop or netbook. Now however, both the Asus 1005H and the Samsung R519 are free on either the 3GB mobile broadband plan or the 10GB option.The Asus 1005H is an ultra-portable netbook with a 10inch screen, 160GB hard drive and built-in webcam. It starts at £25 a month with a 3GB allowance or £35 a month on the 10GB tariff, both with a 500MB monthly wireless hotspot allowance.

The Samsung R519 is a full-sized model, which comes with a 15.6inch screen, 250GB hard drive, DVD drive and webcam. It costs £35 a month on the 3GB package or £45 a month on the 10GB option, both with unlimited wifi.

All of O2’s free laptop deals also come with a 30 day Happiness Guarantee in case you’re not completely satisfied, and a month’s free access to the O2 Techies service – perfect for helping you get set up.

It is widely acknowledged that the free laptop packages with 02 Mobile broadband is a great deal for spreading the cost of a new computer, provide a great service and a fantastic value Mobile Broadband package.

Here are some good examples of the interesting articles we have pulled together on Broadband: How to choose a broadband provider….How to Switch Broadband Provider..What is mobile Broadband….Best Value Broadband Packages

A significant proportion (41%) of mobile broadband users say its their main broadband connection, according to Ofcom’s latest consumer research, which also found that take-up was most significant among the young and the affluent.

6% of adults have only mobile broadband and a further 8% have both a fixed-line broadband connection and a mobile broadband connection. Meanwhile 56% of UK homes have fixed-line broadband only.

Mobile broadband is most popular in the 15-34 age group: “These age groups also appear to be driving sole use of mobile broadband, with around one in 10 adults in this age group using only mobile broadband,” the report noted.

The Ofcom research also found that affluent demographic groups were driving mobile broadband adoption.

This is the first-time Ofcom has tracked the rise of mobile broadband in its annual Consumer Experience report and highlights the early adopters of this type of technology tend to be younger people.  Another intersting finding of the Ofcom research identifies that the cost of mobile broadband has come down massively in price since it was introduced, with there being a number of low-cost deals on the market in the £5 – £10 a month price range. 

Who knows where thigs are going but it looks like the take up of mobile broadband is another factor in the death of the landline and the migration of users to mobiles.

Here is a good example of some of the interesting articles we have pulled together on Broadband: How to choose a broadband provider….How to Switch Broadband Provider..What is mobile Broadband….Best Value Broadband Packages

The plan to improve broadband coverage in areas where it is uneconomic to build high-speed fixed-line networks was at the heart of the Government’s Digital Britain White Paper.

The increasing popularity of mobile broadband and smartphones, such as Apple’s iPhone, that rely on internet access has highlighted the value of the spectrum.  The proposals will involve capping the amount of spectrum that any one company can own, Britain’s mobile phone network operators will also agree to improve their networks more quickly in exchange for an indefinite extension of the 3G licences that they bought for a combined £22.5 billion in 2000. The existing 3G networks cover only about 80 per cent of the population, which has created a digital divide between urban and rural regions.

Vodafone and O2 both own a chunk of “prime” 900-megahertz spectrum, which is better suited to mobile broadband as it has a longer range than bands at higher frequencies. The government report, which will be accompanied by a consultation document, will allow Ofcom to proceed with spectrum auctions in the 800Mhz range, which is ideal for mobile broadband, and the 2.6-gigahertz range, which is suitable for faster broadband speeds. Companies outside the mobile sector, including BT and Intel, are thought to be keen on the higher frequency band.

Ofcom originally announced its intention to sell the spectrum bands in 2006 and had hoped to start auctioning the asset this year. Ed Richards, its chief executive, hailed the sell-off and claimed it would boost the UK economy to the tune of £10 billion.

Here are some good examples of the interesting articles we have pulled together on Broadband: How to choose a broadband provider….How to Switch Broadband Provider..What is mobile Broadband….Best Value Broadband Packages etc

Tip, always check the coverage for your area, the quoted network speeds are the maximum possible, they do not tell you what speed you will get and that the maximum speeds may not be available in your area.

3 Broadband recently won a computer shopper best buy award for its 15mb package at only £15 per month.  The download speeds were highly recommended by the reader panel with good coverage.  There is a 24 month contract but for business users this deal can’t be beaten.

Mobile broadband is great for sales people on the move as they can access emails, files etc as they go and use the PC for presentations etc with no fuss.

We have a comprehensive section on mobile phones with practical articles on…..Smartphone buyers guide…Mobile deals with free gifts…Pay As You Go deals...Mobile Phone Manufacturers….Mobile Phone Networks….Defining your mobile phone and tariff requirements….A to Z of Mobile Phone Features……Mobile Phone FAQ’s