When is mobile broadband the best choice?

For the first time in the history of the 3GPP Rel-11 standard, mobile broadband is becoming a cost effective alternative to fixed broadband for many Internet services. This requires careful planning, as the costs, latency and capabilities of a mobile broadband connection can vary considerably. In this article we will look at some of the questions related to Internet service and the cost/availability tradeoff of the best mobile broadband data connection for your needs.

When do you need mobile broadband?

Let’s look at some use cases. In each we’ll first describe an alternative of fixed or mobile phone lines. Then we will look at the requirements for mobile broadband, and the associated costs (or savings in the case where no mobile broadband costs are incurred) for mobile broadband vs. the fixed alternative.

Mobile broadband is needed when you need to download content from the Internet while you are on the move.