Top 7 Advantages of Mobile Broadband Internet Over Fixed-Line Internet

Mobile broadband Internet services are becoming more popular and more powerful every year. It is already predicted that mobile broadband Internet service will outperform and outsell fixed-line broadband Internet within only a few years. Even though Wi-Fi is popular and reliable, it depends on a fixed-line broadband Internet connection as the source of the signal.

Since the inception of the Internet, it has relied on fixed copper lines to carry the data. In some markets, this has been replaced by fibre optics, but experts are saying this is too little, too late. The numbers of mobile broadband users is rising by leaps and bounds. In 2009, the U.S. had only 6.5 million subscribers. That number is expected to grow to 30.2 million by 2014.

The reason for such growth is that mobile broadband has several benefits of fixed-line broadband. Some of the advantages of mobile broadband over fixed-line internet connection are as follows:

1. Mobility

The foremost advantage of mobile broadband Internet is that it is completely mobile. You don’t have to be tied down by a hard-line connected to your device. Even Wi-Fi Internet has a very limited range. Wi-Fi devices require you to be in a hotspot, and the distance you can roam in that hotspot is measured is only a few hundred feet. A mobile broadband connection can be accessed anywhere a cell phone signal can reach.

2. Portability

Mobile broadband service is completely portable. Even if you subscribe to fixed-line Internet service, you can’t take it with you outside of the subscription location. If you travel to any other location, you must use someone else’s subscription if you want to connect to the Internet. Your mobile broadband connection goes with you wherever you go, so you get the same level of service you are used to without having to rely on anyone else’s subscription that may not be on par with the service you require.

3. Instant Networking

With a fixed-line Internet connection, networking between devices requires one of two pre-requisites: a hard-line connection between each device or the establishment of a network through a wireless router. With mobile broadband, it is possible to create instant networks between an unlimited number of devices without having to establish a network or have them physically connected in any way.

4. Access

Fixed-line Internet is still not completely accessible in all locations. Many rural and undeveloped areas do not have networks in place to communications companies providing broadband Internet service. People in these locations have had to rely on satellite Internet connections, which are unreliable, slow and expensive. Now, mobile broadband is available in many of these areas that provide consumers with fast and reliable Internet service.

5. Devices

Mobile broadband is usable with the largest number of devices. Mobile broadband is not limited only to mobile phones, as most people believe. Through the use of a USB dongle, any device with a USB port can connect to the Internet through the mobile subscription. Devices that can be connected include desktop computers, laptop computers, netbooks, mobile phones and even some media devices. In addition, many notebooks and netbooks come with mobile broadband cards pre-installed. These internal mobile cards allow the device to connect without having to attach a dongle or tethering a mobile phone to the device.

6. Speed

New 4G mobile broadband networks offer blazing fast speeds. Theoretically, these speeds can reach up to 1 Gbit/s. In practice, speeds are much lower but still outperform many fixed-line broadband connections. One test of Verizon’s 4G network measured speeds on a desktop computer at 20.81 Mbit/s for downloads and 3.41 Mbit/s for uploads. These mobile speeds compared to a download speed of 18.91 Mbit/s using the same computer on a Comcast fixed-line Wi-Fi network. This experiment was repeated to eliminate the possibility of a glitch or temporary situation. More mobile companies across the world are moving to similarly fast networks with even faster networks planned for the future.

7. Price

When it first came out, mobile broadband was very expensive and used mostly for business purposes. Prices have dropped significantly so that it is on par with many fixed-line Internet services. This has made mobile broadband very enticing to those who are fed up with the limitations of fixed-line connections.

Guest Author: This is a guest article by Spencer Hogg from Broadband Expert. The website Broadband Expert compares high speed internet deals.