3UK's USB modem - £69 on pay as you go

If you’re a regular visitor to the UK or if you need mobile broadband now and again, but not enough to take out a contract, this might well be a wicked deal for you.

3UK have just announced that they’re selling their USB modems at 69.99 pounds on pay as you go. Genius. Last year, 3UK kicked the mobile broadband marketplace into touch with the launch of their tenner-a-month mobile broadband service (I’ve got one of those and it’s wicked).

Many shops in the 3UK empire couldn’t actually re-stock fast enough, such was the demand. Indeed, a USB modem is no longer the domain of the uber-geek. I come across lots of normobs who have one now.

The other mobile operators here in the UK were caught asleep at the wheel. Vodafone continued to knock along at at 30+ pounds/month price plan until recently — losing many a customer to the very tempting 3UK offer. T-Mobile, too, one of the first to launch mobile broadband, were steeply priced compared to the tenner-a-month deal.

The next stage for domination for 3UK is pay as you go — for causal users, international travellers and those (like me) up for impulse purchases. You can now walk into a 3UK shop — today — and walk out with a USB modem that will work instantly.

All you need to do is top it up. Quoting from 3UK’s release:

With the current Pay As You Go price plan customers can get a 1GB data allowance with a £10 Add-on, 3GB with a £15 Add-on and 7GB with a £25 Add-on. Each Add-on lasts for 30 days.

3’s most popular 3GB package provides users with up to 2000 plain text emails and 100 hours of surfing the web, with an additional 100 two minute video downloads and 200 music tracks.

Reasonable to me, particularly if you’re spunking 20 pounds a day on wifi fees at your hotel.

More details and ordering here.