mobile broadband

FirstTimer4Me

hoping someone can help me as i have no idea what to look for or which provider to use.

i need bb on the move for my laptop something that gives me around 200 hours a month mainly for surfing as i do very little download / uploading.

one other problem i have that being my credit rating is very very very poor so if a credit search was done i doubt very much i'd pass it.

can anyone help me plese?

oh yeh, i have a package deal with vm for phone / bb / tv, would i be able to get bb on the move with them, if so, will it give me 200 hours and how much?

ta for anyones help.

kimosabe

the good news is no credit checks with o2 mobile bb.on pay as you go with NO contract.
I have o2 mbb. I went to local o2 shop.( you can do it from your moby ) bought the mbb dongle with included payg sim card( it fits in the dongle)Cost one of payment of £29.60.All the set up software is in the dongle., Topped up with £15 for 30 days access with a 3gig download.( this should be more than ample for surfing) You can check all this out on there website.
Hope this helps
Regards
Dave

asbokid

The OP doesn't need to go with O2. It is just one option (and a poor one).

Several of the mobile operators offer PAYG mobile broadband.

Coverage is the key issue. Check with Ofcom's sitefinder site to see which 3G networks are available in your area.

FirstTimer4Me

ta for the replies

I live in the west midlands and the mobile bb is only going to be used in the west midlands are

i just called o2 and they said i would have to have a credit check if i applied for a contract deal (£15.00pm) this is not an option for me as my credit rating is poor i know i will fail any credit check

asbokid

FirstTimer4Me wrote: »

I live in the west midlands and the mobile bb is only going to be used in the west midlands area

The West Midlands is a very big area and 3G cells can be very small.. A typical cell radius is less than 1000 metres.

Here is a mast map of central Birmingham. It shows over 100 cell base stations are serving a surprisingly small area.

You can get an idea of network coverage at street-level for the areas you want mobile broadband access. Coverage varies enormously across the providers, and there can be a very steep drop-off in availability and performance at the cell edge...

Shown below is the sort of information published on sitefinder about a mast. This mast is just outside Birmingham and is owned by "Three". It is transmitting in UMTS (i.e. 3G), and it is operating at maximum power.. It is the only 3G mast in the area...... so probably the only choice for mobile broadband in that area is with "Three".

You can use Ofcom's sitefinder database to discover the mast details for your areas of interest. It's one of the few things I find to applaud in Ofcom!

http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/

i just called o2 and they said i would have to have a credit check if i applied for a contract deal (£15.00pm) this is not an option for me as my credit rating is poor i know i will fail any credit check

Maybe PAYG is the way for you then. £15 a month is the typical price for 30 day access to PAYG mobile broadband, so there is little advantage in signing up for a lengthy contract.

Three, T-Mobile, 02 and Vodafone all offer PAYG mobile broadband packages. Surprisingly, Orange do not offer PAYG mobile broadband yet..

Vodafone PAYG mobile broadband is unusual in that the charging is based solely on usage rather than on time as well. i.e. a top-up will last indefinitely if you never use it!


Remember this is moneysavingexpert.com, so your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to get the best service for as little money as possible!

FirstTimer4Me

asbokid wrote: »

your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to get the best service for as little money as possible!

thanks for you help i have to say i have no idea when it comes to deals / technology so hoping you can assist me

i live in birmingham and will be using the mobile bb with a 20 mile radius

i prefer to have a rolling payg deal where i can purchase as i go along

i've called o2 / phones4u / carphone warehouse they've all confused me

macman

If you need 50 hours access a week, then you are going to use a lot of data even if just 'surfing' (why do people persist in thinking that surfing the web is not using data?-every time you request/open a web page you are uploading and downloading data).

asbokid

What about getting a free mobile broadband dongle for 'Three' that Martin Lewis has advertised in his emails?

There are quite a few messages about the dongle in this Mobile Phone forum...

There is no contract, no strings, it is just PAYG. Top it up with the minimum £10. See what Three's coverage is like in your area. If it is poor then unlock it (for free) and try it with one of the other network providers!!

FirstTimer4Me

asbokid wrote: »

What about getting a free mobile broadband dongle for 'Three' that Martin Lewis has advertised in his emails?

There are quite a few messages about the dongle in this Mobile Phone forum...

There is no contract, no strings, it is just PAYG. Top it up with the minimum £10. See what Three's coverage is like in your area. If it is poor then unlock it (for free) and try it with one of the other network providers!!

Oh so do I just go to a 3 store and ask for a dongle can i then surf?

FirstTimer4Me

macman wrote: »

(why do people persist in thinking that surfing the web is not using data?-every time you request/open a web page you are uploading and downloading data).

Maybe it's because some just don't undesytand anything to do with tecnology like me

asbokid

FirstTimer4Me wrote: »

Oh so do I just go to a 3 store and ask for a dongle can i then surf?

Go to the store?! You don't even need to leave the armchair! They post the dongle to you! Check out the earlier messages about the dongle in this forum.

No contracts, no obligations. No strings attached. Although if you want, you can attach a string to it so you don't lose it.