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Nationwide 4G coming in 2011?
Looking for the best devices to take advantage of mobile broadband? See our new wireless cards report, which covers USB modems and MiFi mobile hotspots. We also have reports on cell phone plans and prepaid cell phone plans.
A Virginia company called LightSquared wants to turn on a 4G network this year that would cover the entire United States. It uses satellites as well as cellphone towers to beam its signals. It "sounds like a dream come true for most consumers," ConsumerReports.org says, but there are a lot of ifs. For one, government officials won't allow the system unless they're sure it won't interfere with GPS, which is vital to the military. CNET and GigaOM.com outline other issues that could stand in the way.
Mobile broadband news and tips
Which carrier's mobile broadband performs the best in your area? At CNET, you can enter your ZIP code to find out how the major companies rate for signal strength and data performance in your neighborhood. You can find out the average time each one takes to download a song and upload a photo, too. It's all based on actual data sent from reader cell phones via the site's special app.
Will 5 or 10 GB per month be enough? PC World and Mobile-Broadband-Reviews.com both publish helpful charts that show how many songs you can download, how many web pages you can look up, etc. under various data caps.
PC World explains the different ways you can get mobile broadband -- via your computer's built-in 3G/4G capability, a USB modem, personal wireless hotspot or tethering your phone.
DigitalTrends.com spells out the differences between the various flavors of 4G in its article, "What is 4G? The ultimate guide to 4G wireless networks, phones, coverage, and more."
Read our blog post about how the pending AT&T and T-Mobile merger could affect customers of both carriers.
DSLReports.com is a good site to check for the latest news on mobile broadband.
A PCMag.com article, "Want Wireless Broadband Today? Try a WISP," surveys the current arena of small independent wireless Internet service providers, or WISPs.
WispDirectory.com helps you find out whether there's an independent local wireless Internet service provider (WISP) in your area.
Intel.com provides more details on WiMAX, the technology used for Clearwire's Clear 4G network. Nortel.com has more information on Long Term Evolution (LTE), a competing technology used by Verizon.
In March 2010, the Obama administration announced its plans for a nationwide broadband system, with the goal of getting broadband access to rural areas. Broadband.gov is the Federal Communications Commission's official website for the plan.
The About.com mobile-office guide covers the basics of hooking your laptop to your cell phone for Internet access, using your cell phone's data plan. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
DeadCellZones.com lets you check for coverage complaints by ZIP code and cell phone carrier. It's designed to report on cell phone calls rather than data plans, but if you can't connect, you can't connect.
Mobile broadband service providers
Clear (owned by Clearwire)
Cricket Broadband (owned by Leap Wireless)