Integrated Wi-Fi and 3G mobile broadband service launched for the first time

Mobile broadband service provider FREEDOM4 has recently launched a new service that is the first of its kind in the UK to provide users with the combined benefits of both 3G mobile broadband and Wi-Fi access.

As well as supplying user with a USB modem dongle Freedom4 has also combined the software it uses to enable it to be suitable for both Wi-Fi and 3G mobile broadband use.

Called mobile broadband 1000, this new service combines both Wi-Fi access and a 3G mobile broadband service. It uses a text service that tells a user when a hotspot is nearby and also includes a Wi-Fi hotspot locator that uses Satellite Navigation Systems to find local hotspots.

Along with mobile operators Orange and Vodafone, Freedom4 was shortlisted for an award by The Internet Service Provider’s Association for Best Business Mobile Broadband, which it subsequently won. The service provides full support for 3G HSDPA. 3G, GPRS and Wi-Fi and will automatically pick up and use the fastest service available.

Tests were carried out on more than 600 mobile broadband connections throughout the UK recently and it was highlighted that the Freedom4 tests managed an average download speed of 2.8Mbps, whilst its peak speeds going as high as 17Mbps.

The new Freedom4 service provides users with a USB modem dongle and offers a combination of either 1000 Wi-Fi minutes, which can be used at thousand of hotspots throughout the country and 1000MB worth of 3G mobile broadband access, and is priced from £25 per month.

The total number of Wi-Fi hotspots has now been increased to 4000 in the UK and 50 000 globally following a forming of new roaming partnerships by Freedom4 with Briteyellow and Spectrum Interactive plc, which has allowed it to expand its Wi-Fi network in the UK.

Source – 3g