It's important to remember that you are not guaranteed to be able to pick up mobile broadband coverage from anywhere around the country. Before you sign up to a mobile broadband package, it is absolutely vital you check the service provider's coverage information to make sure you will be able pick up a strong signal where you live. If you regularly travel to a different location to visit family, friends or for work, you'll also need to make sure that area is covered by your preferred provider too.
Because mobile broadband has become such an integral part of our lives, it's amazing to think most mobile broadband services have only been up and running for a relatively short time compared to fixed-line broadband. Because of this, the providers are rushing to improve the amount of the UK that has coverage, with more locations being added all the time - if you can't currently get a 3G signal, it's worth re-checking every couple of months.
What's the difference between 2G, 3G and HSDPA?
2G networks (which can often be described as EDGE or GPRS) were designed primarily for voice and text, and are what you mobile phone conversations and text messages use to get from A to B. 2G networks are capable of transferring data, but only very slowly and unreliably. The maximum mobile broadband speed a 2G network is capable of is 473Kb.
3G networks are a progression from 2G and are primarily designed for data transfer. Standard 3G (sometimes called UMTS) is capable of speeds up to 2Mb. HSDPA improves 3G technology, upping the theoretical top end mobile broadband speed to 10Mb. However, this is yet to be fully utilised by the mobile broadband service providers.
Am I in a 3G mobile broadband area?
Every mobile broadband provider has a coverage map which details which areas of the UK it covers for 2G and 3G services: you can also check by postcode. There are links to all of the providers' coverage maps below.
The following map of 3G mobile coverage 'notspots' (the white areas, not covered by 3G) was published by telecoms regulator Ofcom in July 2009 and is a useful starting point to get a general idea of coverage.
It is a general map showing 3G coverage from all of the masts in the UK. For Ofcom's maps by individual supplier, visit it's 3G or Not 3G page. Alternatively, you can check the coverage of each supplier via their own mobile broadband coverage checkers - click on the ISP's logo below to go to its own national coverage page:
Who has the best coverage?
3 Mobile's 3G network covers 91 per cent of the UK population, all of which is HSDPA. It aims for 98 per cent by the end opf the year.
O2's 3G network covers around 80 per cent of the UK population, which is entirely HSDPA.
Orange Broadband's 3G network covers 94 per cent of the UK population, with more than 75 per cent of this now HSDPA (and rising throughout 2009).
T-Mobile's 3G network covers 85 per cent of the UK population, which is all HSDPA.
Virgin Media uses the T-Mobile network - see above.
Vodafone's 3G network covers just over 80 per cent of the UK population and is all HSDPA.
All of the UK mobile broadband networks offer 2G coverage of more than 99 per cent of the UK population, so if you can't get 3G coverage you should at least get some sort of mobile broadband signal. However, this could be very slow and unreliable.
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