Broadband and mobile broadband jargon buster
It can sometimes be difficult to compare broadband deals from different service providers if you are unsure of some of the technical terms being used. What follows is a brief explanatory summary of those terms that frequently cause the greatest confusion.
Fixed-line broadband. This is broadband access that is dependent on connection to a telephone line. The connection can either be via physical wires or through a wireless signal from the telephone line by way of a wireless router.
Mobile broadband: Mobile broadband is a way of accessing broadband at any location without the need for a telephone connection, usually via a 3G phone or a laptop with a dongle.
Dongle, stick or USB stick: A dongle is a small attachment that plugs into a USB port on a laptop, PC or other compatible console in order to activate mobile broadband access.
Download speed. This shows how fast a broadband or mobile broadband provider can get emails or other internet data to appear on a broadband receiver. Download speed is measured in megabits per second, a term otherwise expressed as Mbps or simply Mb. The larger the number of Mb the faster the online material will be received.
Usage allowance or broadband allowance. This is a measure of how much monthly online activity, including receiving emails and accessing internet sites, a broadband provider will grant a user who is on a set monthly payment contract. Expressed in terms of gigabytes, or Gbs, or Gb, the higher the number of Gb, the more online internet activity will be permitted. In some instances usage allowance will be described as ‘unlimited’ (see fair usage below for more information).
Fair usage. Where usage allowance is promoted as ‘unlimited’, this means that the maximum usage per month will be capped at a very high threshold. Using broadband within this high threshold is thus termed ‘fair usage’.