High Speed Internet Access (HSIA): Mobile Broadband

USB modems (known also as Internet Keys or dongles) plug into the USB port of a laptop, netbook or computer and provide wireless Internet access. They are convenient, easy to use and provide the ability to get online for business or personal reasons while on the move.

There are a range of mobile broadband USB devices. Vodafone, Optus and 3 Mobile all use Huawei modems rebadged for their brand. The speed and services are similar between these providers. Telstra uses a Sierra USB modem and has the fastest mobile broadband network, which the device supports, but at a cost.

Mobile Broadband modems can be purchased outright or obtained as part of a mobile broadband contract. The cost of the modem in these cases is often free or with a small monthly charge.

USB Modems from Australian mobile broadband providers

3 Mobile offer a range of USB modems which they call Internet keys. There are no up front costs for the Internet Key on a mobile broadband plan and depending on the specific plan and the choice of modem, a monthly charge for the modem ranges from free to $10 a month.

Virgin Mobile have one choice of modem, the Huawei E169, with a monthly charge of up to $5 a month depending on the plan.

Telstra have the super fast Turbo 21 modem delivering speeds up to 21Mbps at a cost.

The Optus E1762 modem is easy to use, compact with a microSD card slot and a theoretical maximum speed of 7.2Mbps although, as with all modems, this can fluctuate greatly with signal strength. Monthly charges are up to $5 per month.

Vodafone offer their Mobile Connect 3G HSDPA USB Modem

Mobile broadband device manufacturers are constantly bringing out new models which are smaller, faster and more compact than previous models. It should be noted that speeds are quoted are theoretical and depend on the strength of the signal of the mobile provider.

Popular Mobile Broadband Modems

Virgin Mobile – Huawei E169

• Download speeds of 7.2Mbps
• Twin antennas for improved speed in areas of poorer coverage
• MicroSD card slot up to 4GB maximum card size
• Dual band support, allowing the device to take advantage of future mobile broadband networks running at 900Mhz

3 Mobile – Internet Key E1553

• High-speed HSDPA 3.6
• Plug & Play installation
• Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2, Vista (32+64 bit) or Mac OS X (Mac OS 10.4, 10.5)
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4, 2.6 GHz or higher
• Memory: 256MB RAM or higher recommended
• Hard Disk space: 50MB
• Standard USB port
• Supports quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
• Supports dual-band 3G UMTS 850/2100MHz
• Micro SD Card slot (up to 8GB – sold separately)

3 Mobile – Internet Key E1803

3’s new slim-line, lightweight Internet Key E1803 has a rotatable USB connector that can be turned 270 degrees, allowing you to optimise reception and position it for ultimate convenience. It also has a Micro SD memory card slot (up to 8GB) and is plug and play for both PC and Mac!

• High-speed HSDPA 7.2 downlink
• High-speed HSUPA 2.0 uplink
• Plug & Play installation
• Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2, Vista 32/64
• Mac OS X, 10.4, 10.5
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4, 2.6 GHz or higher
• Memory: 256MB RAM (512MB or higher recommended)
• Hard Disk space: 50MB
• Standard USB port
• Supports EDGE/GPRS/GSM: 1900/1800/900/850MHz
• Supports 3G UMTS 2100/900 MHz
• Micro SD Card slot (up to 8GB – sold separately)

3 Mobile – Internet Key MF6273

• High-speed HSDPA 3.6
• Plug & Play installation
• Windows 2000, XP SP2, Vista 32/64
• Mac OS X, 10.4, 10.5
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4, 2.6 GHz or higher
• Memory: 256MB RAM (512MB or higher recommended)
• Hard Disk space: 128MB
• Standard USB port
• Supports EDGE/GPRS/GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
• Supports 3G UMTS 2100/850MHz
• Micro SD Card slot (up to 4GB – sold separately)

Optus – Huawei E160e

• Dual Band 900/2100MHz
• SMS Services
• Plug and Plan Auto Installation
• Micro SD Memory (optional) up to 2GB
• External Aerial (optional) attachment

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