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Mobile Broadband Dongles

It's a funny word - dongle. But boy is it a useful piece of kit. It's actually a piece of hardware; a USB modem that slots into the USB port of your laptop and enables you to access mobile broadband. So long as you've got a mobile signal that is. A USB device or data card will do the same thing, but everyone seems to want to talk about dongles. It's that name again. Some phones and laptops already have the technology to access mobile broadband built into them e.g. 3G laptops. No dongles required there.

The dongle comes in two sizes; matchbox and a packet of gum sized. If your fingers are nimble, the small ones are the way to go. Different mobile broadband operators sell them for different fees depending on the speed and allowance of the mobile broadband. Don't be influenced by speed - you won't get much. Mobile broadband is a lot slower than fixed-line broadband. The big bonus to dongles is the convenience of a slim bit of kit to get you mobile broadband wherever you happen to be. Just don't expect to be able to download endless YouTube videos with it. BBC iplayer is probably pushing it too. Instead just enjoy the freedom of truly mobile broadband.

In fact, everyone's jumping on the mobile broadband wagon. Indonesia is a nation of early adopters; it was the number one texting country way back and also has the highest smart phone uptake. Mobile broadband has overtaken fixed line broadband there. So make like Indonesia and get yourself a dongle to enable your mobile broadband.

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