Mobile Broadband in Northern Ireland

Mobile Broadband in Northern Ireland is becoming increasingly popular as it allows you to access the internet from anywhere via a laptop and Broadband modem. These broadband modems are predominantly USB which simply plus into a USB port on your laptop. Some providers (e.g. Vodafone) provide their broadband modems in data card format - technically referred to as a PCMCIA Card.

The Advantages:  Mobile Broadband in Northern Ireland
Regardless of connection type, a Mobile Broadband modem has its advantages over traditional fixed line broadband. The ability to access the internet from the train or bus on your daily commute is one of them; not requiring a fixed telephone line (and its own associated monthly cost!)  is another.

The Disadvantages:  Mobile Broadband Coverage Northern Ireland
The most obvious disadvantage is that Mobile Broadband coverage in Northern Ireland is far from perfect – especially when you are not located in a major city or town. If you are always using your mobile broadband connection from one or two places it is easy to check if you have coverage before purchasing. If, however, you are out and about a lot for work or college you may encounter areas where you have no mobile broadband coverage and therefore no Internet access. The other main disadvantage is cost – mobile broadband charges more per GB of bandwidth (amount of data you have downloaded) that standard broadband.

Types of Mobile Broadband Contract & Download Limits
Mobile broadband can be purchased on a “pay as you go” basis i.e. you only pay for the data you download and are not tied to any fixed contract. This is great for those who only occasionally need internet access on the go.  The downside to this is that “pay as you go” mobile broadband deals charge much more for accessing the internet (by way of data download) when compared to a mobile broadband contract.

Mobile broadband contracts range from 12months to 24 months and the download limits vary from 1GB per month to 15GB per month and more. When choosing a mobile broadband provider it is advised that you consider exactly what you will be using it for e.g. will it be full on web browsing on sites like YouTube or will it simply be checking emails and the occasional bit of research? If full on web browsing is a regualr requriement we suggest opting for at least 5GB/month dowload limit - otherwise you may well be faced with a hefty data bill!