Very Brief History of UK Mobile and Broadband
When it comes to wireless broadband UK residents have a number of choices. Technology and implementation alternately pull forward as the wireless telephony industry lurches toward broadband saturation.
Mobile telephones were built on the technology of making phone calls without wires. The next generation of “wireless” has voice calling almost as an afterthought. Data overall is the main focus, with voice being only one kind of data. New networks Long-Term Evolution, or LTE, and WiMax (which stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) are designed to carry broadband data, plus the occasional voice phone call. BT is well into the thick of things with BT home hubs and BT Total Wireless aiming to grab up as much wireless broadband business as possible.
This is a clear turnabout from the first mobile telephony designs, where the first car phones could be hooked up to a modem that sent data down the line at snail-like speeds. Unsurprisingly, the technology didn’t go over well, and never worked reliably. Another generation of wireless technology pretty much left data transmission out too, despite the hopes that were pinned on the Wireless Application Protocol, or WAP. Internet on the go couldn’t live up to the expectations that WAP allowed to build up. Reliable connections and broadband speed available just weren’t ready for prime time.
But finally, as of 2010, Ofcom plans to auction off the Digital Dividend spectrum from 400 MHz and 800 MHz. When that chunk of the spectrum has new owners, the future of wireless broadband UK will become clearer. Switching off second generation services isn’t a real option yet, because third generation coverage isn’t sufficient. However, with the auction of the Digital Dividend spectrum, which will allow 3G deployment at frequencies lower than 900 MHz, that should change, and broadband without phone line will advance even further. But will network operators expand their 3G networks, or just start deploying LTE? Who knows? But LTE has been endorsed by many mobile operators in Britain, giving it a huge long-term advantage. (In April 2010, BT total broadband dominance took another step forward, with BT providing wi-fi service for Starbucks in the UK and Ireland.)
That, however, is still speculation. Anyone who has a broadband connection can go wireless with the right equipment and still talk and surf simultaneously. Some people will choose to buy a wireless router from their internet service provider (ISP), which is pretty much a plug and play deal, but others will choose to buy their own router and set it up. It’s important for the DIY home hub wireless approach to use equipment that is right for the user’s particular broadband connection.
Customers who get their broadband connection through a BT home hub or the equivalent from Sky, for example, need an ADSL router. Virgin Media customers, on the other hand, have fibre optic broadband, and need a cable/DSL router. Top ADSL routers are made by Netgear, and Dynamode, while decent cable / DSL routers are made by Buffalo Airstation and Philips.
Routers for wireless broadband should have a built-in firewall for security and some form of encryption key. Some of the types of encryption keys are:
WEP – simple 64 bit or 128 bit encryption that is fairly easy to crack
WPA Personal – which is more secure and backward compatible with older routers
WPA2-AES – which has the best security and performance, but which isn’t compatible with older routers.
Ports on a home router are useful when there are glitches in wireless connections, because a wired connection can be used instead of wireless as a backup. While most of today’s laptop and netbook computers are wireless enabled, some desktop PCs aren’t, but there are USB devices that perform this function, and which cost around 20 quid.
DIY Versus Plug and Play Routers
Most wireless routers purchased by those setting up their own wireless network come with configuration instructions and install wizards. Setting up the WEP or WPA key for security is very important, and the router password will have to be changed. Otherwise the network is wide open to hackers and other hangers on. Plus built-in security keeps hub wireless routers running fast, since neighbors can’t use your account to download movies night and day.
Getting a router packaged directly from an ISP is extremely simple because the routers are pre-configured plus built-in security. With companies like BT and Orange pre-configuring the hardware, all the settings should be automatically correct, and security should be very simple to set up. Some companies, however, lease out routers instead of selling them, so customers have to return it and get a new one should they switch to another ISP.
Security is a top concern with home wireless broadband UK. Networks should not be set up so neighbors, hackers, or people passing by can’t scan for a network and ride the coattails of a legitimate customer’s wireless broadband. For those that really want to make it hard on hackers, there are web-based wireless key generators that spit out unique encryption keys that are difficult to crack. This can make it easier for customers of UK broadband providers to change passwords regularly rather than having to think up a new 13-digit code every few months.
Broadband Speed Test
Switching to wireless broadband from wired won’t make too much difference to download speed, but there are other factors that can affect it. Simple things like several walls and doors between the home hub wireless router and a laptop can slow download speeds due to a degraded signal. If several people are using the same connection at the same time, and if some of them are downloading huge files (like movies or music), the net will appear slower.
Compare Mobile Broadband
The worlds of wireless broadband and mobile broadband are starting to converge, and the major British wireless providers are competing hotly for customers of this technology. Anyone with an internet connection can compare mobile broadband offerings and score some pretty good deals if they are willing to shop around. For example, in April 2010, Vodafone began offering an 18 month contract at £30 per month that also nets a £99 handset, and unlimited wi-fi minutes.
Broadband UK provider Three includes a Spotify (digital music service) subscription in their rates, and T-Mobile offers the Desire “superphone” with packages including an 18 month contract with a £49 handset, 300 minutes, unlimited texting, and unlimited wi-fi minutes. There are also Vodafone plans that include free handsets and unlimited texts, but with data caps of 500 MB per month. Generally, if you exceed your usage, the costs go up significantly, but 500 MB per month is generous.
Three months free mobile broadband deals are popular wireless broadband UK deals, with BT, Talk Talk, Virgin Media, O2, and Orange running such incentive deals. Broadband without phone lines is not always an option, however. Typically this kind of deal is found online through any number of deal aggregator sites like Top 10 Broadband for wireless broadband UK offers, and gives customers the first three months of their contract for free.
Virgin Media offers three months free mobile broadband deals through Top 10 Broadband that provides fibre optic broadband with unlimited downloads and a free hub wireless router and modem. BT Total Broadband incentives combine broadband plus its Anytime home phone services. Orange and O2 also have their own versions of the three months free promotions.
Wireless Broadband Legislation
Currently, wi-fi laws in the UK are muddled enough that some blame them for holding back wireless broadband UK services in rural areas. Some believe that current laws unnecessarily restrict the benefits of wireless networks. UK broadband providers are in more and more homes all the time, and many networks are left unsecured. While some people forget to change default settings, others deliberately leave networks open for use by other users. While sharing is a way of filling in gaps in broadband home saturation, people are naturally sceptical since the legalities of sharing broadband with third parties are unclear.
Chances are, however, that before any wi-fi sharers could be successfully prosecuted, a new 50 pence per month tax on every UK phone line will have hooked up most of the disconnected anyway. The goal of the March 2010 budget confirming the tax aims to extend wireless broadband UK to 90% of the country by the year 2017. Rural UK broadband providers, however, will have their work cut out for them to avoid being undermined by the ubiquitous BT copper lines already in place.
Wireless Internet Service Providers, or WISPs, were for a long time seen as the key to connecting rural communities due to low infrastructure costs. But once UK broadband providers work around line-of-sight issues and have a frequency licensed, will BT come around and upgrade so as to grab up customers with cheaper ADSL? Who’s to say?
The Community Broadband Network believes that rural broadband saturation depends on laying fibre optic broadband to the home, because then BT couldn’t undercut prices without laying more fibre, which they would be unlikely to do because of the expense. As of April 2010, the prospect of Conservatives winning the next election would result in getting the money for rural broadband from the BBC license fees rather than the 50 pence phone line tax.
Adding it all up, much remains up in the air about where rural broadband will come from, but come it will. In a world where dial-up internet access looks like the first horseless carriages, and with UK broadband providers angling for customers in every way, there is no question that wireless broadband will be as much of a utility in the future as electricity is today.
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