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3G Broadband

Mobile phones allow us to talk on the move and the internet allows us access to information and services that people increasingly can't live without; 3G broadband brings these two technologies together to create the mobile 3G broadband services that we are hearing so much about today. All of the 3G broadband service providers such as Vodafone, T-Mobile and O2 are agreed that 3G broadband is very much the future. It is important to note that although 3G broadband is ideally suited to those who want to access the internet on the move, the service can also be used through a home computer or in fact any device that has a USB port.

3G is an abbreviation for 3rd generation mobile phone technology and it was first rolled out into widespread commercial use in Japan. In simple terms, 3G broadband combines high-speed mobile access with Internet Protocol (IP)-based services, which in effect means 3G broadband gives you fast mobile connection to the internet.

But what does the mobility that 3G broadband gives you deliver in real terms? 3G broadband gives you access to any internet service pretty much anywhere and at anytime from a portable laptop or any 3G compatible portable device. The restrictions of access to the internet through fixed-line broadband are becoming a thing of the past and 3G broadband will lead to communication, information, media and entertainment merging together in all sorts of new and exciting ways that will massively change our behaviour.

With 3G broadband technology constantly developing to deliver faster download speeds and increased data allowances the future of 3G broadband couldn't be more positive with the next generation (4G and Super3G) delivering speeds of up to 100Mbps by 2010. It is also predicted that 3G broadband will account for over 50% of home and mobile broadband sales by 2010, replacing fixed-line internet for many users.

3G broadband enables a whole new ethos of "work anywhere" play anywhere; and 3G broadband is definitely changing the way we interact, for example, could 3G broadband mean that we'll soon be saying goodbye to podcasting and hello to live mobile videocasting?

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