3G Internet Mobile Connect

Wireless is the new kid on the block that seems set for greatness. How could it not be, after all, when it offers various degrees of freedom that previously simply did not exist? By avoiding the clutter of wires, and allowing portable notebooks to truly be as portable as they should, wireless technology has found a place in the hearts of even the most jaded computer users.

Mobile broadband is an extension of this newfound freedom. By offering high-speed, broadband, internet access of a wireless nature through portable modems, telephones or other custom devices, it allows, again, for more freedom. Unfortunately this freedom comes with disadvantages too.

Two major advantages of mobile broadband

Firstly, mobile broadband offers unprecedented levels of convenience as far as broadband internet is concerned. All that is needed is the modem, and internet access is readily available, in theory anyway. If coverage is good enough, it would be completely possible to use mobile broadband overseas from any computer terminal you happen to pass by.

Secondly, the complete lack of need for a landline makes for further flexibility. Whether at home, work, or the park, a land line is completely unnecessary. This translates into even less cables dangling around, and even greater portability.

Two major disadvantages of mobile broadband

Firstly, rather unfortunately, the range of reception for most mobile broadband networks seems to be decidedly limited for now. Sometimes the bad reception exists in ‘pockets’ here and there from which connecting to the broadband internet is not possible, but at other times it can be entire areas that are simply not covered. Also worrisome is the fact that when there is a high concentration of users in a particular area utilizing the mobile broadband, it can cause a general slowdown in service.

Secondly, the bandwidth available to mobile broadband customers is generally much smaller than their more conventional cousins. Although this particular limitation would go unnoticed to most casual users, heavier internet users would find it stifling to their activities. Some current mobile broadband providers charge on a per-MB usage basis and this too can end up being costly unless the broadband is used sparingly.

As a verdict, mobile broadband has a vast potential that can be tapped into and taken advantage of, however it remains very much limited as of yet. That said, it should be noted that the same was said of wireless networks at one point in time, not so very long ago, and as such never underestimate what tomorrow may bring.

For the casual user that values mobility and convenience over speed and consistency, mobile broadband is still a pretty attractive option. However for heavy internet users, and others that simply cannot, or do not, wish to handle the reception problems or bandwidth limitations, it may be unwise to sign up to this particular option just yet. Once the kinks are worked out of the execution, mobile broadband really will come into its own as the preferred form of internet access.

When WAP was first announced, it was hailed as the latest stage in an information culture that would allow people to access the things they need at a moment’s notice. WAP promised up to the minute news and local information that would revolutionise the way we lived, but failed to deliver.

The technology at the time of WAP’s introduction was limited by cost, so mobile phones had small monochrome screens, and were unable to show much in the way of information or pictures. The other major problem for users was that very few webmasters at the time offered a version of their site that would be suitable for use on the smaller screens of Mobile Phones, which meant that vast areas of the web were all but inaccessible.

The download speeds offered by early WAP phones were another hurdle, although had websites been available in a stripped down format, the access speed would have been much higher.

Of course in the intervening years since the first WAP phones, the state of mobile internet has improved enormously, with huge steps being taken in both the accessibility of individual web sites, and also in the ability of the phones to handle the information that they are sent at a reasonable speed.

The latest mobile internet standard 3G offers internet download speeds comparable with a home broadband connection, and provided that you have a good signal, it is possible to access information at high speed whenever you want to.

Perhaps the main selling points for the future of the mobile internet are in easing the interaction between the user and the publisher, for example making it a simple matter to post a video onto YouTube or another sharing site, update your blog on the go with a photo or your thoughts. The other major space for expansion in the mobile internet world is in local services, by which the mobile phone will transmit its location to the network, and you will receive appropriate adverts and local news such as traffic information that are suited to your exact position.

Since it was first introduced, mobile internet access has increased in importance to become a major part of how we use our mobile phones every day, and the more we come to require information at any given time, the more we will come to rely on having access to the internet wherever we are, and whenever we want it.

According to many sources, one of the greatest factors to inhibit the use of mobile internet is the speeds that are available. When a person has a benchmark against which to measure a service then the newer service needs to provide better results or additional features that make it more attractive. In the case of the mobile internet many people already have a faster connection from their home of office computer.

This leaves the mobile internet to provide services that will attract new users, but there is only so much of a gap in speed that the features such as mobility can cover. Unfortunately at the moment the gap is too great for most people, particularly for those people who use GPRS services. The introduction of 3G cards was trumpeted as the arrival of competitively high speeds, but for many this turned out to be untrue. One of the greatest factors working for the benefit of mobile internet is that new products and technologies are constantly being produced.

All service providers are currently trying to increase the speed of their bandwidth to attract additional customers. One of the problems is mobile internet will constantly be compared to standard broadband speeds and be found wanting. The rates that are charged by the service providers, such as T-mobile or Orange, are also higher for comparative speeds than fixed line broadband providers are. Since different service providers offer different packages people do have a choice, but often it is viewed as a choice of the lesser of two evils.

The number of mobile phones that are capable of surfing the net is increasing very quickly as it quickly becomes an expected feature on new mobile phones being released. The majority of service providers still focus on providing data cards for laptops though. This is attributed to the inability of many phones to browse the internet at a sufficiently fast rate for users. One of the greatest problems when browsing the internet on a mobile phone is the tiny size of the screen.

This has lead to an increasing number of people who are now designing their web sites so that it is possible to get a vaguely decent browsing experience. This entails coding the site so that it will be easier to view than standard sites on a mobile phone screen. Until such time as all sites are set up in this way the speed of the mobile internet will be less important. Who cares if a page can load quickly if you can’t see it properly when it has loaded?