Vodafone To Double Mobile Broadband Speed To 14.4mbps

Mobile phone operator Vodafone has announced that it will be boosting its maximum theoretical limit for its mobile broadband service to 14.4mbps although many users may not even notice any increase at all.

Vodafone currently offers a maximum advertised speed of 7.2mbps although real world speeds are more likely to be between 1mbps and 5mbps. The new upgraded service will be available in some areas of London, Birmingham and Liverpool with more to come before the end of the year.

The operator has become the first one to roll out HSDPA technology in the UK and more than 80 percent of Vodafone's existing customers already have the necessary equipments to undergo the speed transition.

The actual speed will depend on a number of variables including time of the day, physical obstacles, type of data being downloaded, distance from the emitting tower etc. Why should we bother then? In ISPReview's own wise word, Marketing.

The practical maximum speed that the service is offering is 10.8mbps (ed: could Vodafone customers possibly complain about misleading advertising?). Vodafone's mobile broadband tariff start from £15 per month on a 24-month contract with a 3GB data plan.

Their latest USB Modem stick pro comes with a microSD card reader that can accommodate up to 4GB cards and a retractable USB connector.