o2 announced mobile broadband


O2 UK today establishes itself as a comprehensive provider of high quality broadband and Internet services in the UK, with the launch of O2 Mobile Broadband.

Designed for fast, easy and reliable Internet connectivity on the move, O2 Mobile Broadband works by simply slotting a small memory stick into the USB port of a notebook computer or PC; customers just “plug-n-play”. With value for money pricing, fast speeds, as well as UK-based after sales service, O2 Mobile Broadband will allow O2 customers to access the internet on a laptop via the O2 mobile network or over 7,500 free Wi-Fi hotspots, anywhere in the UK*, from just £20 a month.

Customers can choose to take out an 18-month price plan for £20 a month with a USB Modem included free of charge, or pay £20 a month for a rolling one-month package plus the one-off cost of the USB Modem (£119.99). Both price plans give customers unlimited** Wi-Fi access and 3GB per month worth of inclusive UK data (on the O2 network). This should be more than enough for the vast majority of customers allowing them, for example, to download 68 music albums a month.

Broadband speeds of up to 1.8 megabits per second, which are equivalent to or faster than the speeds most people experience today on their home broadband, will be the standard across the whole O2 network. From June, O2 will begin increasing this to up to 3.6 megabits per second across the network. Further speed increases will follow in line with technology evolution.

O2 Business Mobile Broadband launches on May 1st 2008.