3G broadband: Wireless Internet via your mobile phone

The text message (SMS) was a technological revolution that allowed an entirely different (and quicker) means of communication. Now your mobile phone delivers more interactive wizardry - a lot more – with 3G mobile Internet.

If you’re someone switched-on (and old) enough to remember darting around to find a cyber cafe or wireless Internet hotspot – and once upon a time there was no other option - you’ll of course have been over the moon when 3G mobile technology was fitted as standard into the average mobile phone handset.

So what is 3G mobile broadband for your mobile telephone and what exactly does it allow you to do? Can it really act as a substitute for a sturdy home broadband connection? Broadband Buddy explains all.

3G mobile broadband: What can you do?

3G mobile broadband is remarkably versatile and quite easily lets you access info out and about. Finding doctors surgery, vet clinic, restaurant or other business information is easy via directories or the company’s own website. Many websites include a “mobile” version, to allow for quicker downloading to 3G mobile phones. Smart phones such as the Blackberry or Apple iPhone, however, add a larger screen to make the compromise on a mobile device even less significant.

Strictly speaking, you can do almost anything that you’re used to on your regular connection with a 3G mobile device, particularly in terms of searching for and reading information, checking what time the game starts and locating movie times and other listing type information. Broadband on your mobile will allow you to, amongst other things:

• Stream video and audio
• View maps
• Perform web searches
• Read news, Sport and weather
• Send and receive emails
• Make and receive video phone calls
• Scan yellow pages and other directory sites
• Watch live TV

If you’ve ever had the experience of being caught without an address or phone number, if you don’t have this information on your phone or within an email account, with mobile broadband you can even access a home directory or database on the go (if you have a compatible network or networked hard drive at home).

How is it all possible? Via 3G technology, which is currently the standard wireless platform for Australian mobile phones, allowing users to access all of these services in real time, without delays or interruptions, while avoiding extensive buffer times.

3G wireless technology

So what is 3G technology? Basically it’s a technology that facilitates increased data transfer rates for a much lower cost. This makes it cheaper for phone companies to offer real time services (like TV) for a fraction of the cost of earlier technologies.

While 3G allows faster data transfer, users need to be able to navigate through the Internet to find services, just like they do on a PC (although mobile-adapted pages are now not uncommon). On the other hand, not only smart phones but most modern mobile phones are fully equipped for painless and pleasurable Internet browsing on the move.