Over the last three months I was in and out of London some seven or eight times. I’ve stayed mostly in hotels and serviced apartments, and for the most part had very good broadband. When I’m out and about, I was a regular user of 3 as their data plan and their data stick deals can’t be beat.
In July I decided to experiment with Vodafone, and their Pay As You Go plans, which while much more expensive than 3, don’t expire on a monthly basis. They also have a more complete and robust network vs. 3 which can best be described as the value for money operator, vs. the business person’s network, a claim Voda could easily make. The pay as you go sticks top out at 3.6 megs a second, but I move the SIM into my Novatel MiFi and get the potential speeds of 7.2 megs.
Now I’m reading that Voda is boosting speeds to 14.4 megs which translates into really boosting capacity. As a frequent visitor to the UK this is good news, and for my friends in the UK this means greater access on the go.
Using mobile broadband though takes discipline. For starters heavy email users should not use Outlook or any POP/Exchange client, and instead should get in the habit of using web based email access. It’s also not suggested that you download the latest episode of your favorite TV show or movie. Save those for when you’re connected via WiFi or at the office or your home.
Lastly, recognize that these speeds are in perfect conditions. For me, getting 2 megs down and one meg up, is good enough most of the time, and Vodafone has delivered that time and again the last two months, so this network upgrade has to be looked at as a positive sign of the times.