The evolution of mobile broadband

Mobile broadband allows you to enjoy a wireless high-speed internet connection without having to depend on a fixed line connection in your home. You can now access the internet anywhere, (signal permitting) leaving you free to roam and surf.
In just a few short years, mobile broadband has gone from a niche concern for road warriors and tech-heads to an affordable and viable home broadband alternative. Serving up internet access over mobile phone networks rather than Wi-Fi, it lets you get online either through your smartphone, a mobile broadband dongle, which uses a USB port, or an in-built SIM slot on your laptop.
So what does mobile broadband hold for us next? Where do we go from dongles? And what next-gen gadgets will utilise the service? Join us to examine how the future of mobile broadband will change the way we use the web forever…

Mobile broadband today

Mobile broadband is the term used to describe any wireless, high-speed internet access that doesn’t rely on a home modem. In recent years, mobile broadband has revolutionised the mobile phone market, allowing us to access the web instantly on the go, and it’s rapidly spreading to other portable devices.
These days, more and more PC manufacturers are going out of their way to build SIM cards into their machines. This means you don’t need a separate mobile broadband dongle and that you’ll have more USB space for plugging in your phone or a dedicated memory stick.

Speed issues

At the moment, the big change in mobile broadband is down to speed. Most mobile networks offer 7.2Mbps mobile web access, billed as being as fast as home broadband. Obviously, this is only true in areas with optimum coverage and where usage isn’t absurdly high.
Overall speeds are increasing. Networks such as Vodafone are now offering 14.4 Mbps, meaning you can download an average length song in a matter of seconds rather than minutes. You can now buy dongles that offer this speed, although you’ll need to be in the right area to get the most from the claimed performance.

What does it mean for me?

Better, faster mobile broadband ultimately means a more flexible lifestyle and better options for the consumer. As the mobile operators invest in their networks and offer speedier products, the more reliable the whole system gets. This means the option to do more web-based work wherever you happen to be. With the right high-speed mobile broadband and the right kit, your office could be wherever you are, meaning more fluid working hours, or simply the chance to check up on key messages on the way to the office.
With the advent of cloud computing via services such as Google Docs and MobileMe, you can access work info and documents wherever you are. And because these tasks are being performed by remote servers, it means that your gadgetry is freed up to be smaller and lighter than ever before.

What gadgets can I expect?

It’s largely netbooks and laptops that are the centre of the mobile broadband revolution, but that’s not to say that phones aren’t playing a part too. After all, they access the network using a SIM in the same way. This means smartphones such as the HTC Desire and Motorola Milestone can all double up as mini computers, serving up easy access to work info wherever you are.
But it’s in the tablet arena where the next wave of mobile broadband skills will really play out. The advent of tablet computing means that more of us will be able to access the web wherever we are. The top end, 3G-packing models, come with remarkably affordable mobile broadband deals from UK mobile phone networks, all of which will give you a huge pool of data to access on a monthly basis. As more tablet rivals emerge, including gadgets like the Dell Streak, mobile broadband is going to penetrate an even greater part of the market.

Look to the future

There’s no escaping the fact that mobile broadband is at the cutting-edge of web services. As more gadgets become connected to the web, the more you’ll find that mobile broadband access will become invaluable.
And it won’t stop with laptops and netbooks – expect mobile broadband to land on more and more gadgets – from TVs and tablets to MP3 players and mobiles. Whatever the future holds, you can be sure that it’ll include a mobile broadband connection.