the Cost of Mobile Broadband Internet Access for a Computer

The price is for one month of a one year contract exclusively for mobile broadband access (i.e. separate from cell service). The service includes unlimited data transfer, but requires a special card for your computer, which is not included in the price and is $100-$200 extra, though it can be purchased from retailers other than the service provider.

The company I dealt with is a full-service cell phone company that is a subsidiary of a large telecommunications conglomerate, so they offer a variety of tel-com services from individual residential stuff, through trans-oceanic cabling, and satellite communications. Prices vary by region and, I'm sure, the complexity of the service.

I'm middling happy with the service. The speed is okay, but the connection is flaky sometimes, no matter where I am in the city. When pressed, the cell company blames the interface card as allegedly few people have my problem, and the card company blames the cell company as the card company has sent me a variety of cards to try. The tech support personnel are always pleasant and helpful, though.

And the "unlimited" data is more like "within reason" and the limit to the reasonableness isn't clearly delineated. Friends of mine who are heavy internet users have had their connections temporarily cut off for excessive monthly use, though that's something I've yet to experience as I use my connection mostly to keep up on my email and browse the web. The people who were cut off tend to transfer large files and are avid online gamers.

It's not bad enough to break the contract, but it's not good enough that I'd want to renew at the end of it. I think I'll be searching for a new mobile broadband provider once my contract is up in a few months.

See if you have friends who are using the service before you commit. The speed may not be what you hoped for and you may be disappointed with the results. Also, since the service is reasonably expensive compared to, say, the free Wi-Fi that's available just about everywhere, be sure you actually need the service before you decide to buy into it. Frequent travelers and businesspeople might benefit, college students probably won't, and people who like to explore truly remote areas would be better served with a sat-phone connection for emergencies.