How much bandwidth do I need?

bertietheblue

Can anyone give me a ballpark bandwidth figure for this scenario? Vodafone provide a maximum 1GB usage and I'm wondering if this is enough:

I will be working from a mobile van/office in France for a month at a time. Clients will be uploading Word/pdf files to my website. I will connect to the website on my laptop via a tethered mobile phone (still to buy as part of the package but probably a BlackBerry), navigate to the download page, download the documents, proofread them and return them either as scanned documents (if pdf) or tracked updates (if Word). On average I will check 100 pages a day, 5 days a week so approx 2,000 pages a month. A 100 page Word document is approx 1MB, a 100 text pdf approx 5MB so 2,000 pages half/half is approx 60MB. I will be uploading and downloading documents from my laptop (via the phone/modem) but otherwise I will use my phone, and not the laptop, to connect to the internet directly (as I understand I will use more bandwidth connecting to the internet on my laptop via tethering than on the phone directly). I will only view videos at WiFi hotspots so not through my phone.

Do tethering and navigating the pages on my website use up so much bandwidth that 1GB might not be sufficient? I need to know because I don't want to commit to a 2 year contract only to find the bandwidth inadequate but no further upgrade possible.

Thanks for any advice
Bertie

bengalknights

Its going to cost alot if your vodafone allowance is only for uk!

Otherwise your probably better off with around 5gb depending on how compressed the files are sent to you.

bertietheblue

bengalknights wrote: »

Its going to cost alot if your vodafone allowance is only for uk!

The Vodafone allowance is for the EU (at a cost of £3 per day of use through Vodafone Eurotraveller) so I'd pay £30 per month for my phone bundle and £99 a month to have it in France - a price I'll grudgingly accept - but it's the 1GB a month allowance which I'm worried about.

Earthworm

You are best to unlock the device and use a local unlimited internet SIM. Phone House in France could provide you with a local SIM with unlimited data (I think) my French isn't as good as it used to be. It appears to be €24.99.

Earthworm

But you may need to brush up on your French for their retentions teams as if a SIM only you may have to terminate it too.