Now that broadband is widely seen as essential, and that most people in the UK expect a reasonable level of internet connection speed combined with flexible accessibility, the methods of delivery of broadband services have increased accordingly.

The biggest change has been in the introduction of mobile broadband services, alongside the various forms of home broadband. Mobile broadband is now able to offer speeds comparable to land line speeds, meaning it is the fastest growing form of broadband technology.

However, there are still several other factors to look at when comparing with home broadband.

Firstly, in terms of price, assuming you already have a phone line, home broadband is likely to be much cheaper for any equivalent speed package or download usage. Some providers will even include their entry level broadband package free to telephone customers. An example of the difference can be shown by Orange's £9.79 packages home and mobile broadband packages, which is an 8Mbps speed for home broadband and a 3.6Mbps speed for mobile broadband.

The mobile package also includes a 1GB download limit, whilst the home package is unlimited. Currently, all mobile broadband packages have download limits, and are therefore not suitable for high data usage, although this is likely to change in future.


In terms of speed, mobile broadband is currently limited to what the signal is like where you are. What this means is that you are unable to pay more for a higher speed - the network simply provides the highest speed available in your area (in the same way that a mobile phone can have a good or a poor signal depending on where you are stood). Most services are currently limited to a theoretical maximum of around 3Mbps, although Vodafone currently offers a theoretical maximum download speed of 7.2Mbps.

With home broadband, in contrast, most providers are able to offer up to 20Mbps speeds, whilst Virgin Media currently offers cable home broadband at up to 50Mbps. Even for those not wanting a high speed, home broadband lets you pay less if you want a lower speed, and your network can move you down to a cheaper package, if you find you are not getting the speed expected.

However, mobile broadband can prove a very flexible method for light or casual users. Unlike home broadband, there is no fixed infrastructure, meaning you don't have to pay line rental on top of your broadband package. Mobile broadband is generally very easy to set up, as the internet is accessed through a USB modem, which looks similar to a flash memory stick, and gives you instant access.


This makes it easy to use your mobile broadband service on different computers if you move around a lot, as well as using it on the same computer whilst travelling. On top of that, its also possible to get mobile broadband on pay as you go arrangements, meaning you buy a set amount of download usage upfront, and you don't pay again until it is all used (in a similar way to pay as you go mobiles phones).

It's also easier to switch from one provider to another, as you don't need to obtain a MAC code or anything similar, as each provider has its own network.