do any of you use the above please?if so who are you with and what do you think to the service?im with bt with my house internet and its of more than its on pile of shit 👿

If you do go mobile keep well away from 3 its slower than windup (DIALUP!)and keeps cutting off. ill be glad when i move so that i can get BT. (sorry but prior to getting this shite mobile i never had any problems with BT)

skodafone is suposed to be the muts nuts. Came out top in a few reviews this year.

I use 3 in my netbook when on the move – works fine in the SOuth east and London except at peak times like the evening. Fine during the day for work. Coverage west of Reading is ropey.

I also have a vodafone sim and that has better coverage and speeds but is more expensive.

Sometimes I use an O2 SIM and again that has good coverage with EDGE back up and is not too expensive.

If you are looking to replace fixed internet with mobile, and mainly use it in the house, you are better off changing your fixed provider. Unless you are very close to a high speed 3G cell site then mobile will generally be slower indoors than a fixed connection.

If you are looking at mobile because you want to use it out and about, then it depends where you are – different companies have different levels of coverage, and different strategies around their networks. Vodafone has a good level of coverage across the country, but focuses more on big urban areas for the fastest speeds (where they tend to roll out the fastest kit much more than the other providers). Orange gives wider coverage (they claim) but it's not as fast.

So, as with many things – it depends. I've got a Vodafone one, and I tend to use it in places that have the faster service (HSDPA 7.2 and above, to be slightly technical) – and it's often quicker than my fixed service at home. If I was using it out in the countryside it's unlikely to be that fast (equally other networks wouldn't be either).

I think the usage allowance on a lot of these mobile internet deals can be pretty low and the charges for exceeding it can be horrendous

Whole thing is pot luck.

The speed you'll get at home is dependant on how far from the nearest cell site you are, how busy that cell site is and what BW policing policy the operator is applying nationally and locally. Eg 3 can be fantastic in one street and 500 yards down the road, barely usable just because coverage is poor or that cell site is over loaded.

NB I build 3G networks for a living…

Are you plugging your router into an extension or the phone master socket? If you are using an extension you can't be sure it's BT's fault and not the wiring in your house. If I plug my router in to the main phone socket I get 6meg stable connection. If I use one of the extensions I get 2.5-3meg that deteriorates over time.

ok thanks for the help guys bt say its the guys who i have my net from not there fault