3 Mobile Broadband Pay Monthly

Independent review with up to date prices, details and special offers for this package...

One of the cheapest mobile broadband deals
Free mobile broadand modem
Up to 5GB monthly usage available (extra data 10p per MB)
Fastest mobile broadband speeds in tests
£3 a month off 5GB broadband: just enter the code '3MBB3OFF' when you sign up online

At a glance

Our Rating:

Monthly Price:	from £7.50
USB Modem Cost:	Free
Contract Length:	from 18 months

Mobile Broadband:
Max Speed:	Up to 3.6Mb
Usage Limit:	Up to 5GB

See all options for this package

3 mobile broadband review: Pay Monthly

3 was one of the very first mobile broadband operators on the scene so they've had plenty of time to perfect their service but are their mobile broadband pay monthly deals actually any good?

Never a one for simplicity, 3 mobile broadband has four pay monthly tariffs to choose from (and that's not including 3 mobile broadband pay as you go, 3's free laptop broadband deals or the heavy-use friendly 3 Mobile Broadband 15GB).

1GB Broadband - £7.50 a month

For the light user, 1GB is a fair monthly allowance. These deals are all £7.50 a month.

The only contract options are 18 and 24 months - although you get a free modem with either. The 1GB 18-month and 1GB 24-month packages are identical, so you may as well opt for the 18 month one.

Going over your usage allowance can get expensive quickly - 3 charge 10p per MB, so £10 for 1GB - so if you think you'll go over regularly it's well worth checking out 3's more substantial mobile broadband deals.

5GB Broadband - £12 a month

The next tariff up costs £12 a month when you enter the offer code '3MBB3OFF' at the checkout. Without the code it's £15.

5GB is now one of the larger mobile broadband usage allowances available and at just £15 a month easily beats many other deals. It still won't be suitable for heavy downloading but for many hours of browsing and emails, or a few iplayer shows a week, it'll be fine.

3 also have a deal for heavier users.

With a 24 month contract it's 15GB for £15. It's one of a kind - no other provider offers such a high usage allowance - so we've dedicated a whole page to reviewing 3 15gb mobile broadband.

What you get

You get a free dongle (the USB modem) with all of 3's tariffs.

Three have just released a new dongle with these packages - the Huawei E1750 - and you can expect speeds of up to 7.2Mb/s. That means that this is a higher quality dongle than those available with other providers and should make it up to 100% faster to download websites, compared to a 3.6Mb/s dongle.

However, actual speeds depend on your proximity to the main network hub. Even on their website, 3 admit that the likely speeds will be "up to 2.8mbps", but this is still an adequate speed for mobile broadband.

If you happen to go over your usage allowance for the month, then expect to pay 10p for each MB of data that you exceed. This can get very expensive very quickly so it's best to keep a tab on your usage throughout the month to avoid nasty surprises at the end.

Anything else?

If you're already a 3 customer, you can benefit from a 25% discount each month for mobile broadband.

Their coverage currently stands at 90% of the UK, and 3 are constantly upgrading for faster speeds and better coverage. You can currently check if you're likely to get a strong service on their coverage checker on the 3 website.

So are they any good?

Depending on what you use your mobile broadband for, then yes. They have a wide range of packages to suit everyone, even if the sheer amount of them can seem confusing!

3 shares its network (and vice versa) with T-Mobile, which allows both parties to offer increased coverage and better speeds. T-Mobile offers the fastest mobile broadband and 3 mobile customers will benefit from this.

3 were the first provider to start using a 3G network and this head start means they have the largest 3G network in the UK.

It's a shame 3 don't include free wireless hotspot access, like O2 and T-Mobile do, but then they don't operate a WiFi hotspot network so they would have to partner with O2's The Cloud, T-Mobile or BT Openzone to do this.

They are, however, a great provider to go with if you're having connection troubles due to their high UK coverage.