Mobile Broadband Offers Connectivity without Boundaries

Mobile broadband¹ is designed to give you connectivity almost anywhere you go. Instead of needing to find a Wi-Fi hotspot², you can have high-speed connectivity built in to your notebook computer, always ready and available when you need it. In the past two years, mobile broadband (also known as cellular data service) has achieved dramatic improvements in both speed and coverage area, making it an ideal choice for the business person who wants to connect from virtually anywhere without hassle.

What is Mobile Broadband?

Mobile broadband is different from Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi provides localized wireless coverage in some cafes, airports, and hotels via hotspots. In contrast, mobile broadband is offered through digital cellular networks--making it possible to connect to the Internet or check e-mail virtually anywhere you can get a cell phone signal.

By using a built-in adapter or a PC Card, plus a monthly data service plan, your notebook computer becomes networked with the click of a button. And with new third-generation (3G) technologies, mobile broadband services can provide download speeds of 400-700 Kbps or higher, which is plenty for reading e-mail, browsing the Web, or connecting to corporate applications. The connection feels fast. Offered by most major carriers, and with prices starting around $60 per month, mobile broadband quickly becomes an indispensable "must-have."

A Day in the Life of Mobile Broadband

Just like your cell phone service, mobile broadband is available virtually anywhere you go during your business week:

• In an office conference room
• At a customer location
• At the airport
• During your commute on a bus, train or ferry
• In a hotel or at a friend's house
• At a family doctor appointment
• In a restaurant or cafe
• Waiting at the mall
• At a kid's soccer game (you can always turn it off)
• Where you are right now

This article was written in part while sitting in a comfortable chair in a doctor's office waiting room. Without mobile broadband, I'd be reading six-month-old magazines. Instead of trying to track down the person who knows the Wi-Fi password at your client's office or trying to find and sign in to yet another Wi-Fi hotspot which can cost $10 a pop, you can connect with mobile broadband easily and bypass these aggravations with the click of a button on your notebook. So don't go on a quest for hotspots. Instead, enjoy your morning coffee at the house or hotel -- or wherever you are -- because connectivity comes to you. Mobile broadband eliminates the boundaries, giving you a productive environment almost anywhere you are.