Attractive Shares
Become a member of The Phone Co-op and you'll receive a share of our profits. Tempting proposition?
Mobile broadband supportContentsCan the Data Bundle be carried over? I've got my SIM and dongle. What next?
What is Mobile Broadband?Mobile broadband uses the 3G mobile network to connect to the internet using HSDPA (High Speed Data Packet Access) at speeds of up to 2.8Mbps. Once connected, you can then use the web in the same way you would on any broadband connection. Who is it for?Mobile broadband is perfect for:
How does it work?As with any mobile service, you need a SIM card to make a connection. Existing Phone Co-op mobile customers using the Gamma network will already have a usable SIM. If you have an internet enabled smartphone, you can connect directly to the web from your handset. Or you can connect your phone to a laptop via USB or Bluetooth and use the phone's connection on your laptop. Certain netbooks and laptops now come with SIM card slots built in, so could put the SIM directly into your computer. Our preferred solution is to use a "dongle." This is a small USB modem that plugs directly into your computer. Can I really use it anywhere?Internet access will be in any area where there is Three or Orange coverage, but you'll only get the top speeds in areas with good Three coverage. You can check what the coverage will be like in an area by going to 3 Mobile's Broadband Coverage Checker. You can also access mobile broadband abroad, wherever your phone can pick up a network. What does it cost?SIM card rental is £1.70 a month, and is on a 12 month contract. You can pay for your connection on an ad-hoc basis, at 6p per MB, or you can purchase a 1GB data-bundle for £8.30. The bundle can be left on your account for as long as you like, or added and removed whenever you need it. These data prices are for UK connections only. Data-roaming (connecting while abroad) can be a good deal more expensive. Please check prices before you travel to avoid suprises! Dongles cost £49 each. How much is 1GB of data?1GB is ideal for regular usage. Various activities count towards your data usage, including browsing the web, downloading music and videos, emailing and instant messaging. The amount of data used during these activities varies. When browsing, it depends on the type of website being viewed. A site like You Tube uses large amounts of data compared to a plainer website like Google. As a general guide, 1 GB allows you to:
Top tip: Did you know that if you have your computer set up to automatically update software, your data allowance will be used up quicker? Sometimes these updates can be over 100MB. Can the Data Bundle be carried over into the next month, if I don't use 1GB?Unfortunately not. If you find you regularly use less than 1GB of data, switch to the Pay As You Use option and just pay 6p per MB. If the service uses a SIM card, can I make calls too?Your SIM card will have a mobile number, and will work in any unlocked 3G mobile. If you make calls, they will be charged at our Option One calling rates. I've got my SIM card and dongle. What next?Congratulations! Get set for a totally unencumbered broadband experience. We’ve set up your connection at our end, so insert the card into your dongle, and you’ll be ready to go. Getting started
Please note, when you set up your connection for the first time you must be in an area of Three network coverage. After that you will be able to get broadband outside of the Three network over the Orange network, although the connection will be much slower. If you have a Phone Co-op email address you can send and receive emails as you normally do on your laptop For security reasons Three mobile broadband won't allow mail to be sent from a mail client using the outgoing smtp port 25. Customers with a Phone Co-op email address should use these settings:
If you use another provider for your email please check with your email provider for their settings, and that you can use port 465 for outgoing email. Troubleshooting your connectionI can't connect to the internet.Make sure Mobile Partner is running before you plug in your USB dongle.If the Mobile Partner button is greyed out or unavailable, unplug your USB dongle for about ten seconds, then plug the dongle back in while Mobile Partner is running. This will reinitialise the USB dongle, and can fix the issue allowing you to connect. In general it is always best to run Mobile Partner before plugging in your USB dongle. Make sure your computer has finished starting up.Before plugging your USB dongle into your computer, make sure it has finished starting up Windows or Mac OS X. Then when you plug your dongle in it should be detected. Make sure the USB dongle is plugged in correctly.Some computers have extensive casing around USB ports, which can stop the USB dongle from fitting in correctly. You could try using the USB extension cable, which came in the box with your dongle, to make sure it is properly plugged in. You could also try plugging the USB dongle into a different port, as sometimes USB ports temporarily don't recognise a USB dongle. Make sure that Mobile Partner is running, and plug the dongle into a different USB port. Check that your SIM card has been inserted correctly into the USB dongle.Your USB dongle requires a SIM card to connect to the internet, a bit like a mobile phone. Please make sure that the SIM card is inserted correctly. Try re-inserting your SIM card, making sure that you push the card deep into the dongle until it locks itself inside. Refer to your user manual for more details. Your SIM will come with your dongle when you buy Mobile Broadband. Make sure a firewall is not interfering.It's possible that your firewall or anti-virus software is blocking access to the internet or interfering with your browser software or Mobile Partner. You may need to switch it off when installing your USB dongle software or you have to 'Allow' the software to connect to the internet when prompted. Make sure you're not using any software known to conflict with dongles.Certain software that you may have installed on your computer might be incompatible with your dongle. Make sure you have sufficient coverage.While Three are improving their network, if you’re in an area being upgraded your service may be interrupted for a short period, usually no more than 6-8 hours. You will not be able to connect to the internet during that time. If you find that only one or two bars are displayed on the signal bar, you may have problems connecting to the 3 mobile broadband network. There are different types of coverage areas and depending on how far you are from a mobile network masts, we call these ‘excellent coverage’, ‘good coverage’ and ‘variable coverage’. Marginal coverage is where you are on the boundary of the 3G coverage area. This means you may experience more varied and slower speeds. We only provide mobile broadband in our 3G and HSPDA coverage areas to ensure we can provide the customer experience and service you would expect. If this is your first time trying to connect, you must be in a Three coverage area. After an initial connection has been made to the 3 network, you will be able to use Orange when Three is not available. Use Three's coverage checker to make sure their network is available in your area. Check the settings in Mobile PartnerGo to Tools – Options – Profile Management and set the APN to static and three.co.uk. How do I improve my speed and signal strength?Mobile Broadband uses a radio signal. The strength of signal will vary depending on where you are, weather conditions and the construction of the building. If you need a stronger signal strength and improved download speeds, here are some things you can try:
My dongle didn’t include Mac softwareMac users can download the Mobile Partner software, or just the driver on its own, from the following links: My outgoing email doesn't workTo transmit and send email your email program has to connect to an SMTP server to actually do the donkey work. To stop anybody from connecting to any SMTP server they want (and potentially sending reams of spam) most ISPs restrict connectivity to their SMTP servers for users connecting via their own network. There are 2 solutions here:
I lost my dongle!If you lose your dongle or someone steals it, call us and we’ll put a bar on it. The numbers for customer services are 0845 458 9000 (09:00-19:00 Mon-Fri), or 0844 544 6548 (after 19:00 and at weekends). |
