3 mobile broadband
3 are the big and pleasant surprise of the mobile broadband world.
3 was formed to offer mobile services based on "3G" technologies, so they've invested a lot of time and money getting the best 3G coverage in the UK. 3G mobile phone services such as video calls haven't really taken off, but mobile broadband uses the same 3G technology and so 3's mobile broadband customers benefit from the widest availability of good mobile broadband speeds.
3 also offer great value and are often first with innovations such as laptops with mobile broadband and mifi.
Best for
- Value - bigger download allowances, less money
- Range of laptops - 8 choices available in August 2009 for example
- Coverage - 90% plus of population on the fastest HSDPA service
- Innovation - choice of colours for USB modems, laptops with mobile broadband, mifi
Returns / cancellation policy
3 has a fairly standard returns policy. You must cancel and return your equipment within 2 weeks of receipt if you change your mind about your purchase or discover you have poor coverage. Also bear in mind that if you move to a new area outside your network's coverage zone, the network has no responsibility to release you from your contract unless it falls within the stated returns period, and normal cancellation fees apply (see below).
If you want to cancel your contract before the end of your minimum term, you will have to pay a cancellation charge. This will be the total of your monthly line rental multiplied by the number of months you have left in the minimum term of your contract, less 3% for first time customers or 10% for longer term customers who have renewed their contract in the past. So if you're on an 18 month plan and wish to cancel after 8 months, you'll have to pay a cancellation charge equal to your monthly line rental for the remaining 10 months minus 3% or 10% of the total.
Use abroad
Use of mobile broadband abroad is currently expensive for all mobile broadband suppliers, and 3 is no exception. It's still good value though, if you're travelling for business.
The cost in the EU is £1.20 per MB and £6.00 in the rest of the world. This is good value for email use (and Outlook 2007 users can use "download headers" to keep costs more firmly under control).
Excess charges
Excess charges exist if you exceed your monthly download allowance. We provide advice on how to avoid them, because they can quickly add up to many times your normal monthly payment.
The rate is 10p per MB, but put another way this is £102 per GB.
About 3
The newest mobile phone network, 3 UK has quickly grown since its launch in 2003 and now has over 4.4 million customers in the UK. Parent company 3 extends over eight countries internationally including Australia and Hong Kong (where its headquarters are based) and provides services to over 20 million consumers worldwide.
3 has become a market leader in mobile broadband, being the first UK network to adopt and champion the rapidly developing technology. It's since led the way by offering some of the best contract deals and introducing Pay-As-You-Go and SIM-only deals well ahead of the other networks.
3 mobile broadband makes finding the right package easy with the wide range of choices it offers, including the largest selection of laptops of any network. Contracts for 3 mobile broadband range from 12 months up to 24 months with the Pay-As-You-Go service offering a 30 day rolling contract. The monthly download allowance ranges from 1GB to 15GB per month.
As with any of the other mobile broadband providers, the mobile phone network used by 3 mobile broadband only covers certain parts of the country and there will be areas where users will not be able to get a signal. However with 99% 2G coverage and over 91% (and growing) 3G coverage, not only will you almost certainly get a signal, you're also more likely to achieve a high speed connection on 3 than on any other network