Vodafone in mobile broadband fast lane

Vodafone is upgrading its mobile broadband services to offer speeds that are 10 times faster than standard 3G.

From 3 September subscribers will be able to download content up to 14 times faster and upload at around 10 times the speed via HSUPA (high-speed uplink packet access) technology.

Cheat Sheets

♦ Mobile location-based services
♦ FMC
♦ 3G

The upgraded service will be rolled out during the autumn, starting with central London and major airports - including the London airports, Birmingham and Manchester - before being pushed out to the rest of the country.

Laptop users will be able to subscribe to the service for £49 per month on an 18 month contract which can be purchased online or in-store.

Vodafone will offer a 'plug and go' USB modem as well as two datacards, known as ExpressCards, one of which is a 'plug and go' datacard and another said to be more suitable for corporate customers.

Each device will have two antennas to boost connectivity in weaker signal areas.

Download speeds of up to 7.2Mbps will eventually be possible but initially speeds will range between 1.7Mbps and 5.5Mbps, allowing users to download a 5MB file at a minimum of seven seconds, 14 times faster than standard 3G.

Upload speeds will also be boosted to 1.44Mbps, 10 times faster than 3G currently.

Vodafone cut its 3G mobile broadband prices at the beginning of July, with the monthly tariff falling from £45 to £25.