Mobile Broadband Providers

Across the various UK mobile broadband providers there are some great mobile broadband offers to be had. Use our mobile broadband comparison tables to compare all of the packages available or click on the icons below to  While many people these days opt for a smart phone and a data plan to stay connected to the Internet many others take along their notebook, net book or laptop computer to work or for a more satisfying mobile computing experience. The main Internet enabler for these users in the United Kingdoms (UK) is mobile broadband. Mobile broadband for the UK is predominantly 3G or 3.5G (HSDPA) as other services such as WiMax and LTE have yet to catch on in the UK.

Compare UK Mobile Broadband Providers

There are currently 5 major UK mobile broadband providers and are listed below:

3 Mobile
This is actually a brand name that consists of several broadband Internet providers. Three mobile broadband is very popular here in the UK. The main company in charge of this brand is Hutchison Whampoa through majority percent interests. As such it is sometimes called Hutchison 3G. They currently have one of the highest levels of 3G coverage in the UK amounting to 97.4% of the UK population.

Vodafone Mobile
Also known as the Vodafone Group PLC, they are a global telecommunications company with broadband networks across the world. They are also the single largest mobile broadband provider in the United Kingdom and provide network support to many other mobile broadband providers, including O2 and Orange/T-Mobile. Vodafone mobile broadband was a pioneer in the UK being the first provider to introduce mobile broadband.

T-Mobile Mobile
T-Mobile is based from Germany and again has global networks around the world. Recently, T-Mobile (UK) went on to form a merger with Orange which resulted in Everything Everywhere, which now makes T-Mobile mobile broadband combined with Orange the largest network of its kind in the UK. The T-Mobile brand in the UK is still sold separately though

Orange
While it may have had origins with Hutchison Telecom, Orange is a mobile broadband provider run by France TÈlÈcom and as such has networks worldwide as well. They have since formed a merger with T-Mobile UK to create Everything Everywhere. Despite this merger, the Orange brand is still considered a separate mobile broadband provider, complete with their own broadband packages.

O2
Otherwise known as Telefonica UK Limited, O2 is the second-largest mobile telecommunications provider in the UK. While its main headquarters are in the UK its parent company, Telefonica is actually based in Spain.

Mobile broadband providers in the UK each offer their own packages with a general overview comparing these packages listed below:

Mobile Broadband Provider Packages

3 Mobile Broadband ~ packages provide for broadband speeds up to 2.8 Mb and begin from a 1 GB bandwidth quota and £10 per month, going up to 15 GB at £30 per month. Performance is better than average with 6 out of 12 users stating satisfactory to excellent overall performance. All of the packages have a contract from 12 to 24 months and come with a free USB modem.

Vodafone ~ packages begin from 3.6Mb speeds to 7.2Mb with a cost per month ranging from £15 to £25. The bandwidth quota is significantly higher at 3GB to 5GB. While there is a contract period they do have one for just one month while the rest begin from 12 months to 24 months. Unfortunately, some of these packages require that you pay for the USB modem separately. Overall customer reviews rate Vodafone as a midrange performer with 8 out of 12 satisfactory to excellent review ratings.

T-Mobile ~ offerings for this broadband service provider are limited with a broadband speed of 1.8 Mb and a bandwidth quota of 3GB at £29 going up to 10GB at £44 but at the same speed. The contract period is 12 months while a free USB modem is also offered with each package. Performance is a bit mixed for these offerings despite 6 out of 12 good review ratings as many are finding that the provider isn’t delivering as fast as it used to.

Orange ~ packages for this provider are limited with a broadband speed of 1.8 Mb and a bandwidth quota of 3 GB. The cost per month is £15 with a contract period of 18 months. Thankfully, a free USB dongle is provided. Overall performance is below par as only 3 out of 12 rate it at just good performance.

O2 ~ packages for this provider are more discrete, as they focus more on the contract period of 1 month to 24 months. Each package has the same broadband speed of 3.6 Mb with only one of the packages offering a bandwidth quota of 10 GB compared to the 3 GB quota of the other packages. Overall performance places it a bit below average with only 4 out of 12 review ratings stating that it provided a satisfactory to excellent mobile broadband experience.