British Telecom (BT) has released a new wireless broadband package designed for small businesses. The service is an addendum to its popular business broadband deal and offers free, unlimited mobile internet via a complimentary USB dongle. This device connects to Vodafone’s high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA) net and provides a maximum download limit of between one and three gigabytes.
The new service is available as a standalone option (the appropriately titled BT Business Mobile Broadband) or as a token gift available with BT’s popular Business Total Broadband package. Existing customers and those hoping to upgrade their broadband are out of luck though, since the service is only available to new customers and those renewing their contracts.
Wireless broadband is a major boon to telecommunications companies and the bandwagon is already full to bursting point with mobile phone companies and moonlighting TV and cable providers. It can be extremely difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. BT’s new product comes complete with a whole host of annoying restrictions that render it inadequate in the face of the already saturated wireless market.
At £17.50 per month, the standalone package is one of the most expensive mobile broadband packages on the market, exceeding the prices offered by O2, Orange, and T-Mobile by an average of £2.50. The luxury of unmetered broadband would make the extra cost worthwhile but BT’s grasp of the word "unlimited" is questionable at the best of times.
BT Business Mobile Broadband has a 3GB download cap and offers 2,000 minutes of access in BT Openzone Wi-Fi locations. The service is also loaded with image compression software (an extra that makes images ‘murky’) despite the fact that Vodafone uses no such software on its HSUPA network.
The wireless dongle is available as a complimentary item with BT’s Business Total Broadband Options 2 and 3. The packages cost £26.99 and £40.50 respectively. VAT is not included.
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