Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is Mobile Broadband?

    Mobile Broadband is a high-speed wireless internet connection with a speed greater than 1Mbit/sec that is available wherever the user has Mobile Broadband coverage. It delivers the same level of broadband experience to mobile users as fixed line access without the wires, plugs and WiFi hotspots.

  • How much does it cost?

    Prices differ per country. However, research predicts that the average cost of Mobile Broadband around the world will halve between 2007 and 2011

    Notebooks with Mobile Broadband technology are getting cheaper as the technology has become more readily available. Talk to your mobile network operator to find out more about connection and data transfer rates.

  • Will it replace WiFi?

    It will offer a compelling alternative to hotspot based technologies, and many additional user benefits such as:

    • Security

      In stark contrast Mobile Broadband is secure by design – you don't have to make any complicated adjustments to PCs or routers or anything like that. It’s secure out of the box.

    • Cost

      The global GSM ecosystem brings incredible economies of scales and unprecedented choice and competition, which drives down costs for you. Also refer to costs, above.

    • Coverage

      Mobile Broadband is available on 291 live networks in 91 countries across the globe*. Mobile Broadband continues extend as rollouts gather pace – so far more than 267 operators across 120 countries make commitments towards Mobile Broadband technology.

      Estimates predict 200 million users in 2009, 1.3 billion users by 2012 and 2 billion users by 2015.

      * figures correct as of September 2008

    • Simplicity

      No multiple hotspot subscriptions in the various towns and cities you visit – just one account that travels with you around the world.

    • Mobility

      No wires, no hotspots – just freedom.

      Mobile Broadband is different because it is a mass market technology that provides a high standard of simplicity, mobility and freedom.

    • Speed

      Mobile Broadband can be just as quick as fixed-line broadband speeds on most networks.

      Mobile Broadband can reach speeds of 3.6Mbps on most HSPA networks, and up to 7.2 Mbps in 37 countries – speeds comparable to fixed broadband services.

      The actual speed of a Mobile Broadband connection experienced by a user can vary depending on a number of factors:

      1. Technology overheads

        Messages sent to the network to authenticate the user, to control the service itself and to indicate if the user is moving from one cell to another.

      2. Simultaneous connections

        The radio signal is a shared resource among subscribers, when that number of subscribers is exceeded, the bandwidth available to all subscribers declines proportionately.

      3. Network coverage

        Where Mobile Broadband coverage exists, the laws of physics mean that the further a user is from the radio mast providing the mobile connection, the lower the bandwidth that will be available.

      4. The immediate surroundings

        Mobile connections are radio waves and can be degraded by other radio waves. If there is a source of radio interference located near the user and the radio mast, the speed of the connection may decline. Mobile connections are also impeded by obstructions, such as tall buildings, hills and bad weather.

      5. Unexpected changes in network demand

      6. The Internet

        Many of the services transmitted via a Mobile Broadband connection are based somewhere in the Internet. The Internet itself is often subject to congestion that simply results in traffic arriving slowly, so even if the mobile connection is delivering the maximum possible bandwidth, the content requested by the end user is not necessarily delivered at that speed.

        As you would expect, fixed networks also vary in performance.

  • What are the benefits to me?

    Freedom, simplicity, coverage, security, mobility.

    Mobile Broadband provides a truly mobile internet experience because it allows a notebook computer to access the internet via the extensive reach of mobile networks. Where you see the Mobile Broadband logo, getting online couldn’t be easier. The technology comes fully built-in to notebook computers and is ready to use straight out of the box for simplicity and ease of use. Just switch on and go.

    Mobile Broadband technology increases the speed at which a mobile network can deliver content by five to ten times, enabling Internet access to notebooks and handsets at speeds previously associated with fixed-line DSL.

    Rural and urban, indoor and outdoor, study, travel or home – the result is an online connection that you can use however and whenever you like… always with you…always ready…always mobile.

  • What is in it for business users? What are the benefits?

    For business users, Mobile Broadband keeps you connected even outside the office. It enables you to stay in touch, access your email, send and download large files and browse the web at any time.

    Outside, on the train, in the café – Mobile Broadband can make a world of difference to your work, whatever your profession. From construction and field workers to highly-mobile sales personnel and self-employed creative professionals, the benefits of being completely connected on the move can make a big difference to business.

    With Mobile Broadband you no longer have to work around the office: the office can now work around you.

  • Can I access it anywhere?

    Mobile Broadband is available on 291 live networks in 91 countries across the globe*. Mobile Broadband continues to grow and cover more of the globe as a total of 267 operators across 120 countries make commitments towards Mobile Broadband technology.

    * figures correct as of September 2008

  • Can mobile operators realistically provide reliable and resilient 3G coverage and the necessary network capacity to deliver a quality user experience?

    Mobile Broadband provides a fast, always-on internet access to notebook users wherever they are over 3G and HSPA technologies. Mobile Broadband will work wherever there is network coverage, just like with a mobile phone. Most of the big mobile operators are expanding their coverage areas and improving the capacity of their networks on a regular basis.

  • What can I do with my Mobile Broadband enabled notebook?

    You can access communications services such as VoIP, web mail and IM, and the music and video-entertainment capabilities of a PC and download content such as music and movies via the web is high on the agenda for buyers of notebook PCs.

  • Will the notebooks be fully interoperable? Will you be able to use different operator networks on a single notebook?

    Yes, notebook PCs, bought independently, that carry the logo will be fully interoperable – they won’t be operator branded or SIM locked.

    However, the model for notebook PCs that carry the logo and purchased from operators will work in much the same way as the model for mobile phones. Operators will offer bundled packages whereby they’ll subsidise the cost of a notebook PC with Mobile Broadband but you’ll receive a SIM that will be locked to that operator.

HSPA

Networks

  • What is HSPA technology?

    HSPA is a Mobile Broadband technology that delivers flexibility by enabling simultaneous voice and data connections. There are 102 HSDPA (high-speed internet download) Mobile Broadband commercial networks operating in 55 countries today. 37 HSDPA Mobile Broadband networks already support 3.6Mbps downlink, with the first instance of 14.4Mbs peak rates already achieved.

  • Are 3G, Mobile Broadband, and HSPA the same technology?

    The terms 3G, Mobile Broadband and HSPA are often used interchangeably, but their actual meanings differ. 3G refers to the third generation of mobile networks – networks that are capable of handling rich multimedia services, as well as voice calls and text messages. Mobile Broadband refers to the high-speed connections provided by the more advanced 3G networks, which typically use one of three technologies: HSPA, EV-DO or mobile WiMAX. Of the three, HSPA is being deployed the most broadly as it is fully compatible with the world’s most popular mobile technology: GSM.

  • Is HSPA designed primarily for voice, data or both

    3G mobile technologies were originally developed to handle both voice and multimedia data, such as video, pictures, Web pages and music. HSPA greatly enhances the ability of a 3G mobile network to carry this kind of traffic by dramatically increasing the bandwidth available. Although HSPA is highly-optimised for data, an HSPA network also has the capacity to carry high-quality voice calls.

  • Is Mobile Broadband only being deployed within urban areas?

    Each operator makes their own decision on where to deploy new network technologies, such as HSPA. Initially that decision will typically be determined by where there is the greatest concentration of potential user, so most new networks are rolled out first in cities and near transport arteries, such as rail-lines and main roads. However, many operators subsequently expand their network to provide HSPA coverage in suburban areas and, in some cases, rural areas. SmarTone-Vodafone and Telstra, for example, offer HSPA coverage to more than 99% of the population in Hong Kong and Australia, respectively. Living well beyond the reach of the fixed-line infrastructure, many farmers in Australia’s outback rely on HSPA to provide them with a broadband connection.

Subscribers

  • Why shouldn’t I just connect through Wi-Fi instead of HSPA?

    In any given place, you are more likely to find HSPA coverage than public Wi-Fi coverage. HSPA networks cover large areas, while Wi-Fi is typically only available in hot-spots. Even where Wi-Fi exists, getting connected isn’t always straightforward. You may need to first ’detect’ the network, then purchase the service either over a counter or via an online sign on, and then authenticate yourself using whatever means the network has dictated. There is very little consistency and, at times, users may find public Wi-Fi frustrating and just not worth the effort. By contrast, an HSPA connection can be made one click as authentication is carried out automatically by an UICC (sometimes called SIM) card embedded in the device. For many people, this kind of ease-of-use is an important factor in their choice of technology.

Different Technologies

  • Isn’t WiMAX cheaper than HSPA?

    HSPA is supported by the vast and growing ecosystem of network operators, device manufacturers, and content/application developers that support the GSM family of technologies. This very high-level of support has led to the development of a large and thriving market for HSPA devices and other equipment. Manufacturers are achieving economies of scale, passing cost savings on to mobile operators and ultimately consumers. It will be very difficult for manufacturers of WiMAX equipment to replicate these economies of scale.

  • Is WiMAX the next step after 3G and HSPA?

    HSPA has a nominated successor and it isn’t WiMAX. Most of the world’s largest mobile operators have said that they will adopt LTE, a very advanced Mobile Broadband technology designed to be fully compatible with HSPA and GSM. LTE will begin to be deployed within the next two years, but HSPA will continue to be the dominant global Mobile Broadband technology for the next five to ten years.

  • There have been claims that WiMAX can provide 75 megabits per second at distances of up to 50km. Are these claims true?

    Yes, you can have 75Mbps and yes, you can have 50km. But not at the same time! In any radio network, there is a trade off between distance and connection speeds. That means you can download and upload data at very high speeds if you are close to the base station, but the throughput falls as you move further away. In theory, both WiMAX and LTE networks will eventually be able to offer speeds of more than 75Mbps, but only if users are within a couple of kilometres of the base station.

  • HSPA is 3G. Doesn’t that make it inferior to 4G technologies, such as WiMAX and LTE?

    Labels such as 3G and 4G can be misleading. HSPA is a 3G technology in the sense that it is here today, it is technically robust and has been commercially deployed all over the world. But it will continue to evolve and the performance of HSPA networks will bear no relation to the performance of the first 3G networks deployed in the early part of this decade.