the Cost of Mobile Broadband Internet Access for a Computer

When I had this service, I was an employ of the company, so I actually got a better price than what was listed here. But basically, for $50 a month (plus all those additional fees) you get "unlimited" internet access. Obviously, you also have to purchase the wireless card to go along with your computer. This card can be anywhere from free (after rebate) to at least a hundred dollars.

This is not like a networking card. It is essentially a cell phone that goes into your computer. I use this analogy because it still dials into the wireless network.

Your quality of service obviously depends upon your location to a cell phone tower, just like a cell phone. To receive broadband speed, you normally must be in a big city. Otherwise, you can receive the slower speed (which is slower than dialup) almost anywhere.

One of the things that bothers me about this service is that it cannot be used completely unlimited. They have all kinds of fine print about the actual data usage. In other words, they're trying to control for Internet downloads, etc. Also, they don't want someone always on the Internet because this crowds their cell phone network.

I would recommend that you not use this as your main internet connection. It is great if you travel a lot, or just have the extra $50/month to spend. Otherwise, you will become very frustrated using it as your main connection. Even cable internet would be cheaper and *faster*.

Not to mention, broadband cards cannot be networked (easily) in a home.