Mobile broadband warning to those heading to South Africa!
If you’re lucky enough to be heading off to South Africa for the World Cup (or unlucky enough to have booked a holiday there, not realising the World Cup was happening at the same time), you may be thinking about using your mobile broadband abroad on the trip. Whether via a laptop or smartphone, you need to be aware that using mobile broadband in South Africa can be an extremely expensive undertaking.
Firstly, the good news - both 3 Mobile Broadband and Vodafone have reduced their South Africa roaming rates for the period of the World Cup. Unfortunately, for many people, even these reduced rates will be prohibitively expensive for a lot of people. Even within the EU data roaming is very expensive, and all these two companies have reduced their South Africa prices to their EU rates.
Never mind ‘fun’ applications for your iPhone, how about one that acts like your mum?
The NHS, with our best interests at heart, has released an app for the hugely popular Apple handset which counts your units of alcohol and tells you when you’re drunk. It’s all part of the government’s plan to spend less money on treating self-inflicted ailments, by pointing out to people that it’s not entirely wise or necessary to live entirely on take-aways or drink until you’re incapable - which of course very much has the feel of a doomed enterprise.
Users can get the app, called NHS Drinks Tracker, free from iTunes; but quite aside from the fact that no-one wants to be nagged by their gadgets, there seems to be another issue in that entering the serving size of the drink, its percentage of alcohol and how many of them you’ve had requires - well, a measure of sobriety.
If you’re really concerned about watching your alcohol intake, then sticking to just the one, or better still the iPhone beer drinking app might be a better bet.
Virgin Media have announced they are increasing mobile mobile broadband speeds to 7.2Meg with discounts to existing Virgin customers who take other services.
English mobile broadband providers are delivering services “far lower than advertised”.
Almost three and a half thousand broadband connections were tested over a five month period.
It was found that users recorded an average download speed of 1.1Mbs, substantially lower than advertised.
However, some experts queried the results, saying that quantifying mobile broadband was almost impossible.
Rob Webber, Broadband Expert’s commercial director, explained how they did the tests.
“These are tests performed by users on the Broadband Expert website. They select their internet service provider, their promised connection speed, and the sort of connection they have.
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The roll-out of fully functional, faster, more efficient next generation mobile broadband came a step closer today, with Verizon Wireless completing successful LTE tests in the US.
With the next mobile broadband standard still not 100 per cent decided, the States is as good a place as any to watch the two potential contenders battle it out. So far, WiMax has an advantage in that it is already up and running in some areas, and last week Clearwire, which has adopted the WiMax standard, announced that it would be launching its services in ten new US markets next month.
Now Verizon has a conducted successful LTE data call in both Seattle and Boston, including streaming video, uploading and downloading, web browsing and VoIP. Both cities have 10 LTE sites up and running - although only for testing at present - and Verizon has said it plans to launch its LTE mobile broadband in 30 markets in 2010, and have a full nationwide network by 2013.
Tony Melone, senior vice president and CTO at Verizon commented that the LTE mobile broadband network will make a "ubiquitous, highly mobile, super-fast broadband experience a reality for customers."
The follow on plans from the Digital Britain report are progressing with details of who will lead each project and how funding is going to work.
Orange are making special cheap deals for students with mobile broadband provider Orange!
Students signing up for a new bank account at Barclays will be able to kit themselves up with broadband in good time for the start of the next academic year. The bank has announced, from today, eligible customers will be able to receive a 25 per cent discount on Orange mobile broadband.
As part of the deal new student customers will receive a free mobile broadband dongle as well as acccess to telephone banking and a contactless Visa debit card.
Speaking on the incentive, Barclay’s head of current accounts, Andrew Harris, said: “We recognise the financial challenges students have and that’s why we have looked to provide them with a relevant package to support them through student life.”
BT Ireland and Vodafone have signed a deal that will see mobile broadband and voice customers in Ireland transfered to Vodafone.
T has put a limit on the number of new connections that can be made through Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U for the rest of the year according to reports from press source Telecom Paper.
Showing just how influential a high street sales pitch is it has been reported staff in Phones 4U stores across the country have been told to switch sales focus away from the mobile and mobile broadband provider as staff have exceeded T-Mobile targets. A similar story is suggested for sales in Carphone stores.
This news comes as T-Mobile’s UK managing director Richard Moat (pictured aboved) announced he would be focusing on company acquisition costs in an attempt to level out the finances of the UK business.
This week a report was published in the London Financial Times suggesting following poor quarterly results from its parent company Deutsche Telekom. Rumours have also been flying for some 3 eyeing the business.
Is it just a coincidence Vodafone has only just begun selling contracts in 820 Carphone Warehouse stores across the UK? This reunion deal marked the end of a three year separation between the two companies. To celebrate the return of Vodafone free laptops were being offered out to mobile broadband customers by Carphone if they agreed to a two-year term.
TalkTalk follow BT abandoning Phorm
