And whilst speaking of the mobile broadband coverage and Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2009, there's an issue that is dear to the heart of anyone who's' tried to access their mobile services from a foreign country.
That's right, roaming.
It's never failed to amaze just how many road warriors suddenly run out of juice the moment they land at an airport because they failed to realise that, just like their mobile phone, their mobile broadband service is only configured for the country in which they live.
Now just like with your phone, it's not that hard to set up but it has to bed said that some mobile broadband packages, mainly at the entry-level end, won't offer roaming.
All a bit of a pain at the time but really how much international roaming do most people do? And how much would you pay for an acceptable connection?
For those who don't want the hassle of upgrading to a more expensive mobile broadband packages there are now specialist companies who can facilitate worldwide mobile broadband access at 3G speeds.
One such service announced at MWC was that from Mobility which is claimed to be able to provide international travellers mobile broadband connection at 130,000 hotspots in hotels, airports, bars, trains, restaurants, petrol stations in 66 countries with speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps.
Even more interesting is that the service aligns runs with no contract, monthly fee, setup fee or maintenance fee. It is claimed that you only pay for what you use, which on paper seems ideal for those who travel abroad but only infrequently. That is, most of us.
And as we said previously, coverage area is as important as speed. And coverage can now go places where your local mobile broadband supplier may not be able, or willing, to let you roam.
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