With more 3G networks established now, the higher wireless speeds and lower costs have made wireless broadband much more attractive and affordable. I’m currently using Sprint’s wireless broadband and I have been quite happy with its great coverage and ability to obtain download speeds of 1 to 2 Mbps. While my cable connection at home operates quite a bit faster (between 3-8 Mbps) I’ve considered going totally wireless and dropping the $50 per month service. Thus, I’ve decided to research the wireless broadband service providers to evaluate and compare them more closely. All the data included in this article was taken direclty from the service providers’ websites.
T-Mobile offers wireless internet for $49.99 per month with unlimited data transfer and no activation fee. Currently the only broadband card available on their website is $149.99.
Cricket’s wireless broadband service plan cost $40 per month and includes unlimited internet access. There is a one-time activation fee of $25 and the cheapest broadband USB modem is $59.
Verizon’s wireless broadband service is $59.99 per month with a $35 one-time activation fee. The least inexpensive data card will cost you only $29. The service plan is limited to 5 GB per month with the over limit fee set at $0.25 per MB. Users can expect download speed from 0.600 Mbps to 1.4 Mbps and upload speeds from 500Kbps to 800 Kbps.
Sprint’s wireless data plan is set at $59.99 per month with no activation fee. You can get a free mobile broadband card with a new 2-year contract. The data plan’s limit is set at 5 GB with an overuse fee of $0.05 per MB.
AT&T’s wireless broadband service will set you back $60 per month with no activation fee incurred. You can obtain a free mobile data card by signing up for a new 2-year contract. AT&T’s data plan includes a 5 GB limit.
Alltel offers wireless broadband for $59.99 per month and a free wireless data card if you sign-up for a new 2-yr contract. Alltel wireless broadband customers should expect download speeds up to 3.1 Mbps.
Below you will find the comparison chart for the providers discussed above. The service providers were compared according to price, activation fee, cheapest modem or data card available, the data limit for the wireless service plan, cost per MB of over usage, download speeds, and upload speeds. Keep in mind that wireless connection speeds vary according to your location and a carrier’s coverage is limited. So make sure you check the available coverage in your area before signing up. Unfortunately, not every bit of comparative information was found on a provider’s website (e.g. upload/download speeds). We have every intention of providing this information when it becomes available and if you have some insight for the data cells currently filled with a ?, please add your comment below to let us know what those are.
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