Nowadays, broadband is offered in prepaid and aside from that, you can be connected anytime anywhere using portable broadband connections. Well, I’m not sure about other countries or places but here in the Philippines, 2 of the leading broadband internet providers namely Globelines and Smart offer on the go broadband internet connection. The dongle that is connected through USB will allow you to access high-speed internet connections anywhere using any PC with USB capabilities.
Well, this is really convenient as you can use your broadband connection even when you’re at work, if you’re at school, and possibly anywhere with wireless internet signal. Plus, these are offered at the usual broadband speeds of up to 2mbps. It uses the same wireless broadband network and the only difference is the hardware. You just need to buy the USB modem that will allow your PC to receive internet signals.
What’s the catch? That would be the price. Desktop wireless broadband connections are already expensive. Portable wireless broadband would be a lot more expensive. These services, however, are offered through prepaid service which means that you only pay for what you will or what you intend to use. That’s pretty convenient but for the internet savvy, you’d probably want a permanent connection much the like the ones found in homes.
Since it’s prepaid, you can use it for emergency purposes especially if you need information on the spot. The USB modems are small and can fit in your pocket and they come in cool designs and colors as well. They cost around $45 or so and come in loaded with a few hours of free use. After using the free load, you need to buy more prepaid internet load to be able to use it again.
Since it is wireless, it is susceptible to the technical issues that the home wireless internet users experience. Interference is definitely the top problem as wireless signals can be interrupted by other signals such as cellular phone, satellite signals, other wireless connections and even weather. One major problem that I have experienced in wireless internet connections in general would be the stability of the connection. There is a very high chance that your internet connection speed would fluctuate. Sometimes it’s fast and sometimes it’s slow. Unlike wired internet connections such as DSL, you can achieve a more constant speed at very near or at the rated speed your provider gives you. If it’s 768kbps, it is 768kpbs and not slower.
So if you plan to purchase a USB modem from a wireless internet provider, think first if you really need it. It’s not needed but good to have especially if you go out a lot. So far, I haven’t heard anything real bad about these services aside from the technical aspect which is very much understandable. Just take note of your spending and you’ll be just fine. It feels good to have the power to be connected almost anywhere.
