What is Mobile Broadband?

Ever hear the commercials and wonder what is mobile broadband? With so many different vendors advertising this technology, it is quite confusing at times as to what exactly this service includes. The following article will examine the question, what is mobile broadband?

What is mobile broadband? In short, mobile broadband is high speed wireless internet access connected to almost any device which is portable. This is the technology described in most cellular phone commercials when they mention access to the web or to your email account. The most advertised standards of this mobile technology are 3G and now 4G.

However, despite the marketing schematics you see in these ads realize that mobile broadband is not exclusive to cellular phones only. In most cases this technology is built in all devices that access the internet without a wired connection. Aside from cellular or smart phones this also includes some laptops, devices like iPad or Kindle, GPS systems, etc. When choosing your mobile devices the specifications will indicate that the device has MiFi, SDIO, Compact Flash, PC Cards, or Express Cards.

Here's where most people get confused. Mobile broadband is not the same technology you have with a wireless home network. It is similar, yes, but it is not at all the same thing. With a connection to a wireless home network on DSL and even WiFi you are limited to a specific area in how far away from the connection you can move before you lose the connection. For your laptop or device to keep this connection regardless to distance, it must have MiFI.

WiFi and DSL connect to a router that has been created in one location. For instance, if you connect to the internet via WiFi at the local coffee shop you are connecting to a DSL connected network that allows WiFi connections. As soon as you are out of range for that DSL connected network you will lose your connection. The same is not true of MiFi. MiFi connects to a satellite in the same manner that your smart phone connects to your vendor's network. With this mobile broadband technology a connection is established from literally anywhere via these satellites. It is this difference that answers the question, what is mobile broadband?