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What is 3G broadband? 3G broadband is the global Vodafone branding of an evolution of our 3G network called HSDPA i.e. High Speed Downlink Packet Access (it is not 4G). How fast will 3G broadband be? Initially designed around the 1.8Mbps standard, customers will experience peak download speeds of around 1.4Mbps (with an average of 400-700kbps across all coverage areas). Upload speeds will be up to 384kbps. These are up to four times faster than current 3G speeds. Is the experience the same as broadband at home? Currently, the typical broadband speeds achieved at home are around 1.1 Mbs which is faster than 3G broadband. For the foreseeable future, fixed line broadband speeds are likely to remain faster than the mobile broadband speeds, however mobile broadband has the advantage that the user is not tied to a location. Will users be able to use their existing SIM? Yes, as long as they have a 3G broadband device. There will be no changes needed to the SIM. Will all customers be able to get 3G broadband? No, only those customers who use a new 3G broadband card in an area where Vodafone has deployed HSDPA on the network will be able to use it. If there is no HSDPA coverage then customers will get normal 3G coverage (Currently 72% of the population) or failing that GPRS coverage (99% of the population). Will 3G broadband be available everywhere? At launch coverage will be within the London M25 area, Greater Manchester, Sheffield, Tyneside and Glasgow. Roll out will be across 3G coverage areas and will be driven by 3G data usage, population coverage and ease of deployment. By Christmas we are targeting roll out to 90% of the areas where we currently see 3G usage giving coverage for 50% of the UK population. We aim to roll out 3G broadband across the rest of Vodafone's 3G network by summer 2007. Detailed coverage information will be provided through a new online tool at launch. Will the speed be guaranteed? No, like 3G, the actual speed a customer will experience will depend on whether there is 3G broadband coverage at a particular location and will be affected by the number of people nearby using the service at the same time. The technology does deliver greater capacity (three times that of current 3G levels) meaning that more people in the same location at the same time can benefit from a superior experience. Also latency is reduced which means that business applications like Outlook, Citrix and SAP will be more responsive and closer to a LAN-like experience. However, we will not be offering Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to customers to guarantee Quality of Service (QoS). Will there be an impact on the current 3G service? There should be no long-term negative impact on the current 3G service as all sites that are near capacity will be upgraded as part of the HSDPA programme. What will come next? 3G network technology continues to evolve and in the future download and upload speeds will increase as new technology is deployed. Will the existing 3G data card be sold anymore? From launch the new 3G broadband card will become the default standard however existing 3G only cards will still be available for customers who require them. Where can you roam with 3G Broadband? At launch customers can roam on Vodafone preferred networks in the following countries - Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Hong Kong. We will introduce 3G broadband roaming for other countries as it becomes available through our local partners. Vodafone connects customers across the globe with roaming agreements worldwide providing 3G roaming in over 20 countries and GPRS roaming in over 100 countries. Will the cards work in the USA? The US GSM networks use the 1900 Mhz frequency which is supported by both 3G broadband data cards. The new 3G broadband cards will behave in the same way as the current 3G data cards where customers have access to the US GPRS networks. Also both cards support the faster EDGE technology which is also widely available in the USA. Is 3G broadband provided in any other way? Customers in the UK can purchase laptops exclusively featuring Vodafone's built-in 3G broadband capability from leading PC manufacturers Dell, Acer and Lenovo. These companies have built Vodafone's 3G broadband technology into their laptops which will operate at similar speeds to Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G broadband data card. These will launch at the same time as the Vodafone 3G broadband data card. What is the USB Modem? The Vodafone Mobile Connect USB Modem is a small device that plugs into the USB port of a laptop, PC or Mac. It allows customer to connect to the Vodafone network using 3G broadband, 3G or GPRS. The software to run the device on Windows laptops is automatically installed from the modem onto the laptop the first time the device is plugged in (plug and play) which makes it very easy to get up and running. Mac users need to load the software from the CD that is packaged with the device. Is the 3G broadband experience the same as broadband at home? Currently, typical home broadband speeds are up to 8 Mbs which is faster than 3G broadband however the browsing experience is very similar. For the foreseeable future, fixed line broadband speeds are likely to remain faster than mobile broadband speeds however mobile broadband has the advantage that the user is not tied to a single location. Will I be able to get 3G broadband? No, only those customers who use the USB Modem, a 3G broadband card or who have built-in 3G broadband in their laptop and are in an area where Vodafone has deployed 3G broadband on the network will be able to use it. If there is no 3G broadband coverage then customers will get normal 3G coverage or failing that GPRS coverage (99% of the population). Will 3G broadband be available everywhere? 3G broadband currently covers all 500K+ populated cities/centres. As well as coverage in these large cities, there is also coverage springing up all over the country. By Christmas 06' we are targeting roll out to 90% of the areas where we currently see 3G usage (giving coverage for 50% of the UK population). We aim to roll out 3G broadband across the rest of Vodafone's 3G network by summer 2007. Where can I roam with 3G broadband? At launch customers can roam on Vodafone preferred networks in the following countries - Germany, France, Austria, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Belgium, Hong Kong and Finland. We will introduce 3G broadband roaming for other countries as it becomes available through our local partners. Vodafone connects customers across the globe with roaming agreements worldwide providing 3G roaming in over 20 countries and GPRS roaming in over 100 countries. Will Vodafone be offering Service Level Agreements (SLA's) to guarantee Quality of Service? No, Vodafone will not be offering Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to guarantee specific performance criteria or Quality of Service (QoS). Customers with queries in this area should contact their Account Manager. What will it cost? Our monthly usage data tariffs remain unchanged. The USB Modem price will be linked to tariffs. Will the USB Modem work in all countries abroad? The USB Modem will work in most countries however it is tri-band and there are a small number of countries (in the Caribbean) that require quad-band for roaming. The speed customers get will depend on the technology implemented in the roaming network. Will the USB Modem work in the USA? The USA GSM networks mainly use 1900 MHz although there is some use of the 850 MHz frequency. The USB modem supports the 1900 MHz frequency (but not 850 MHz) for GPRS also the faster EDGE technology which is widely available in the USA. It does not support the USA 3G. Will I be able to use my existing Vodafone SIM? Yes as long as you have a 3G broadband enabled device. There will be no changes needed to the SIM however users should check that they are setup with the most appropriate data tariff. For more details customers should contact their Account Manager. Will the speed be guaranteed? No, like 3G, the actual speed a customer will experience will depend on whether there is 3G broadband coverage at a particular location and will be affected by the number of people nearby using the service at the same time. The technology does deliver greater capacity (up to three times that of current 3G levels) meaning that more people in the same location at the same time can benefit from a superior experience. How fast will it be? Initially designed around the 1.8Mbps standard, customers will experience peak download speeds of around 1.4Mbps (with an average of 400-700kbps across all coverage areas). Upload speeds will be up to 384kbps. Both download and upload speeds are up to four times faster than current 3G speeds. Is latency improved with 3G broadband? This refers to the time taken to “click to content”. 3G broadband gives reduced network latency, giving faster access to web-based content than is currently possible with 3G. Is 3G broadband provided in any other way? Customers can buy 3G broadband data cards to insert in the PCMCIA (data card) slot in their laptop. Customers in the UK can also purchase laptops exclusively featuring Vodafone’s built-in 3G broadband capability from leading PC manufacturers Dell, Acer and Lenovo. These companies have built Vodafone’s 3G broadband technology into their laptops which will operate at similar speeds to Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G broadband data card. I'm based at a location where you don't currently have 3G coverage. Why do I have to pay more for a new 3G broadband device when I can't use 3G broadband? 3G broadband devices are the default standard for data devices and will work seamlessly cross 3G broadband, 3G and GPRS networks. They are aimed at people who work with laptops and travel to a variety of locations. Most people who travel are likely to move into an area of 3G broadband coverage. We aim to cover 50% of the population by Dec 2006 and the whole of our 3G footprint by summer 2007 (currently 72% of the population). I'm half way through deploying 3G data cards. Can I get USB Modems for the remainder of my deployment? This may be possible. As a large corporate or business customer you will need to ask your Account Manager to update your existing contract and schedule details. Can you tell me when there will be coverage in my area? Please go to our website www.vodafone.co.uk/ukcoverage and look at our online coverage tool. It contains maps that give a 6 month view of our roll-out plans. You can also enter your post code to check the coverage in a specific area. We plan to roll out 3G broadband across the whole of Vodafone's 3G network by summer 2007. I'm not sure whether to buy a USB Modem now or wait until a data card that works in a ExpressCard slot comes along? In the future we expect to launch new data devices to take advantage of the latest 3G technology as it evolves and as we deploy it in our network. We currently expect to launch a Vodafone ExpressCard data card in Spring 2007. I've lost the device, can I get a new one? Yes, you can get a replacement device. Please contact Vodafone Customer Services. Can I try a USB Modem before I buy it? Yes, you can contact your account manager to arrange a trial device. How can I control how much my users spend? The Vodafone Data Tariffs are designed to deal with various different usage scenarios. The Data Unlimited tariff allows you to pay a set amount each month for unlimited usage subject to our fair usage policy. This means that we will monitor usage and only contact you via your account manager if the usage rises above our limit of 1Gb/month. Most users use well under this limit. How do you set-up the USB Modem? For Windows laptop or PC users the Vodafome Mobile Connect "Lite" software is automatically installed from the modem onto the users machine. Mac users need to first install the software on the CD provided with the device. The modem also works with the full Mobile Connect software (Version 7.05) and some organisations may prefer to pre-load this software to take advantage of additional features such as VPN support, SMS messaging or to be able to deploy the software remotely rather than having to physically install at each desktop. Please check the User Guide that came with your card. If you work within an organisation that has its own helpdesk, please contact the helpdesk in the first instance and if you still have problems contact Vodafone Customer Services. My USB modem doesn't seem to work - what do I do? If you work within an organisation that has its own helpdesk, please contact the helpdesk in the first instance. If you don’t have a helpdesk please try the following. 1) If nothing happens when you plug the modem into your computer, try another USB port. 2) The cable supplied with the USB Modem will power the modem from a USB port on your computer. If there is still no response from the modem try the long double-ended cable, which will supply power to the modem from two USB ports (N.b. if you plug the modem into a USB hub there may not be enough power.) 3) If you are still having problems try removing the USB cable and restarting your computer. Then re-attach the cable and let the Vodafone Mobile Connect software restart. 4) If you can't make a data connection or to check that your SIM card is activated, call Vodafone Customer Services. Can I use my USB Modem in any laptop? You should be able to use it any machine that has a standard USB port, PCs and Macs that will support the USB modem. If a laptop is already setup with a 3G broadband data card and a user wishes to continue to use the data card they must select the full Mobile Connect Software rather than the Lite version installed from the modem. How can I check how fast my connection is? Your connection speed will depend on 3G broadband coverage, the strength of the radio signal where you are and how many other people at any given instant are using the service in the vicinity. The flashing lights on the modem show you which network (GPRS, 3G, 3G broadband) you are using when data is transferred. Can I use my USB modem with a SIM from another mobile operator? No - it is not possible to do this as the modem is "network locked". In setting up, does the device have a separate "SOC"? No, however a data tariff price plan must be assigned to the SIM used in the USB modem. Will I need to upgrade the capacity of my link from Vodafone to my network? The 3G broadband experience depends upon every link in the communications pipe - from the laptop to the data source - being of suitable capacity. All business customers will have to review whether they have enough "backhaul" capacity from the Vodafone network to their company network to ensure their users on 3G broadband can enjoy optimal performance. For some customers this will mean investing in capacity upgrades. Please contact your Account Manager for more information. A user is in coverage but their connection seems slower than usual. Why might this be? A user may experience slow download speeds for a number of reasons, including:a) Slow web sites – if a user browses to a web site with a high number of visitors, they may find that it is unable to respond. They may see an error message or the site may be extremely slow. It may be best to visit the site during off peak times. b) Programs running on their computer may be using an internet connection in the background, for example Windows Update or anti virus software. c) If there’s a large number of users trying to access the internet at the same time they may experience slow download speeds due to heavy network traffic. Users may want to try using the service during off peak hours. d) Users may receive a slow service if their network coverage is poor. They should try moving the location of their mobile connect card to a location with better coverage (for example, by a window) to check if this is the cause. What do the lights mean on the USB Modem? The USB Modem has a light that show which bearer (3G broadband, 3G or GPRS) is connected. For 3G broadband a solid turquoise light will come on. For 3G a solid blue light will come on. For GRPS a solid green light will come on. A double flashing light means the USB Modem is searching for a network and a single flashing green light means a network is found but you are not connected. Why does the data usage figure on the dashboard not reflect exactly what I see on my bill? All amounts shown in the Vodafone Mobile Connect Software (Dashboard) are approximate. Various factors, including other programmes running on your computer (e.g. automatic updates or compression software) may cause differences between the amount of data shown as transferred in the Usage Window and the transfer actually recorded by mobile networks. These differences may sometimes be large. You are strongly advised that your monthly bill is the only final accurate record of usage. What are the reasons a user would get a 3G connection and not a 3G broadband connection? There are 3 possible reasons : 1) Not having a 3G broadband card 2) Not being in an area of 3G broadband coverage 3) In some circumstances if the cell is very busy with 3G broadband users Does Vodafone block VoIP on its data cards? We do not operate a policy of blocking VoIP on our network Does Vodafone intend to block VoIP in the future? As far as the future is concerned, we will continue to review the impact of VoIP technology to ensure that we maintain the highest quality of service for all our customers. The technology is still at an early stage in its development and as operators, we are continuing to review what our customers want, as well as how it affects our networks. How will 3G broadband perform on high speed trains? High speed trains move very quickly between cells. This often affects the 3G user experience, since by the time the connection is made to the cell (approx 3 seconds) the user is moving to the next cell. This experience will not be improved with 3G broadband. What happens if a user moves out of 3G broadband coverage whilst transferring data? The Mobile Connect Card will not be able to transfer data for approximately 6 seconds whilst switching from 3G broadband to 3G. We expect that VPN connections will be sustained during this switch over. I understand that the available bandwidth is shared between users, but is there a limit to the number of people who can connect to 3G broadband? In a given radio cell, we are currently allowing up to 10 users to concurrently send or receive data at 3G broadband speeds. However, many more than this can be using the service because users typically do not send and receive data all the time. When inactive, users return to 3G allowing other users to connect to the 3G broadband bearer as needed. However, for this reason, 3G broadband should not be suggested as a suitable replacement for an office LAN. Is there a seamless handover between 3G broadband (HSDPA), 3G and 2G (GPRS)? Customers may experience a delay when moving between different network technologies. What are the limitations of tri-band compared to quad-band? The USB Modem is tri-band which means it supports the 900/1800/1900 MHz GSM network frequencies. Quad-band devices also support the 850 MHz network frequency. This means that in a small number of countries - mainly in the Caribbean - the device may not work. What does fair usage mean? The Vodafone Data Unlimited and Vodafone Data Travel price plan are subject to Vodafone's fair usage policy. This means that a customer's UK usage must not exceed 1Gb per connection in a month. We don't expect customers to go over this limit however if a customer's usage is in excess of this, we may ask them to moderate their usage. If a customer then fails to do so, we reserve the right to move them to another Vodafone Data price plan or to charge for all excess usage. Long-term or persistent usage in excess of the limit may also result in suspension or termination of the service. What happens if someone else uses the USB modem on a different laptop? The USB Modem will work in exactly the same way i.e. the software will automatically install (on Windows machines) when it is plugged in. All usage will be on the single bill. Does it work with Apple Macs? Yes - this device will work with all Apple Macs. Customers need to install the Mac software from the CD enclosed in the box. This is Ver 2.06 of the Mobile Connect Software for Apple Macs and works with all Macs including the newer Intel-based MacBooks and MacBooks Pro. Older Macs used the PowerPC chip and only the 15" and 17" PowerBook models had a PCMCIA slot (which works with our data cards) all others e.g. iBooks and 12" PowerBooks, had a USB port. Newer MacBook Pro devices have either an ExpressCard slot or a USB port. When connected the device displays a connection speed of 3.6Mbps – what does this mean? The device has the ability to support maximum speeds up to 3.6 Mbps and like many home broadband services it display this theoretical maximum when first connected. Vodafone’s current 3G broadband data network is designed around the 1.8 Mbps standard giving peak download speeds up to 1.4 Mbps. Vodafone’s future network upgrade plans are confidential however in the future Vodafone may upgrade their data network to support faster speeds. What happens if someone already has Vodafone Mobile Connect software loaded on their PC i.e. software used with the data card? It is expected that if the latest version of the full Mobile Connect software for Windows (7.05) is detected on a laptop or computer, the USB Modem software will not load and the user will continue to use 7.05. If an earlier version of the Mobile Connect software for Windows is installed is is expected that the USB Modem software will automatically load and the user can choose which software to use to run the device. This will be confirmed once 7.05 is available. |
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