Despite the recent announcement of the merger deal that will see Orange and T-Mobile become the largest single mobile broadband provider in the UK, the feelings of unity are not spreading to the rest of the providers, as the newly joined firms are refusing to share their portion of the radio spectrum.

Industry regulators Ofcom are likely to demand an explanation for the decision by Orange and T-Mobile, which will shut out the other major providers from over half of the available radio spectrum over which services including mobile broadband and cellular networking are provided.

Recent investigations into radio spectrum allocation carried out by an independent research firm advised capping the amount a single organisation could own and if the merger goes ahead then Orange and T-Mobile would be in serious breach of these recommendations.

There were some hopes that over the next year, all of the major mobile broadband providers would share their radio spectrum, allowing people with Vodafone mobile broadband USB dongles to benefit from improved coverage as part of industry-wide cooperation. This spirit of sharing has been somewhat dampened by recent events.

Although the merger of Orange and T-Mobile, which would give them close to a 40% stake in the mobile broadband market, was initially going to be subject to a competition review, it seems that murmurings from the Office of Fair Trading suggest independent investigations into the merger have been put on hold. This is likely to result in the formation of the new provider occurring far quicker than was previously thought.

Industry observers are fairly sceptical that any industry wrangling which takes place before the general election in 2010 will actually have any lasting effect. Changes in legislation are inevitable no matter which party comes to power, although the stubborn behaviour of all providers could sour relationships in the future.

O2 has been slow to improve the levels of 3G coverage that it can offer to its UK customers, with its current coverage levels of 84% putting it at the bottom of the pile when contrasted with other UK providers.

After recent studies identified Orange as the provider of some of the cheapest mobile broadband in the UK, as well as boasting 93% 3G coverage and a very satisfied customer base, other networks have had to react fast in order to save face.

O2 has therefore announced that it will be investing significant sums into expanding the reach of its 3G networks, with a total of more than 1500 new 3G base stations being built or converted to utilise the new technology.

It is not clear just how many new masts will go up around the UK, but converting existing 2G masts to 3G will certainly provide better coverage in the most underdeveloped areas.

London will of course be a focal point of the investment, with a total of 200 new base stations becoming active over the next year and a proposed group of 40 authorised for an update by Christmas 2009.

O2 has been famously nonchalant in its approach to 3G coverage up to this point and it was subject to threats of a potential fine back in 2008 when Ofcom reported that it was not adhering to the coverage levels dictated by its 3G licence.

According to O2 officials, the company did not fully appreciate the level of public demand relating to mobile broadband. It has therefore been focusing on its home broadband service, which has resulted in O2 becoming one of the most popular fixed line providers in the country.

Those looking for the cheapest mobile broadband in the UK could find their options greatly improved as a result of the increased competition offered by O2’s wider 3G coverage.

Wireless broadband prices are falling across the board and mobile broadband is becoming ever more popular, despite criticisms levelled at download speeds and levels of 3G network coverage. The news that Mac owners are having issues with compatibility has therefore come as a something of a shock to the industry.

Last week it was revealed that Mac owners who had upgraded to the Snow Leopard operating system were experiencing serious issues if they tried to use their mobile broadband dongles with the new software. In most cases this rendered their mobile broadband connection inaccessible. The networks responded with various levels of concern to these issues.

In the event that your mobile broadband service ceases to work because of a software issue, the Office of Fair Trading has come out in support of Mac owners with several useful pieces of advice. It is legally assured that consumers should not only receive products which perform correctly, but more importantly that they perform in the way in which they were advertised.

Mac owners with Snow Leopard whose mobile broadband dongle does not work are entitled to an explanation and assistance from the network and are advised to contact the Citizen’s Advice Bureau if this is not forthcoming. If your mobile broadband dongle was explicitly advertised as Mac-compatible then you have even more weight behind your complaint.

Most networks have now released fixes for the issue, although some are considered to be more difficult to perform than others and networks offering mobile broadband continue to advertise their dongles as compatible with Macs despite the persistent evidence to the contrary. Low wireless broadband prices may not be enough to quell public anger.

The OFT advises consumers to complain if they are unhappy with any form of broadband connection and problems which place the provider in violation of the terms of a broadband contract could well be grounds enough for you to legally cancel your contract before the minimum term.

It may have surprised some industry observers that connection ‘management’ has not been a bigger part of mobile broadband up until now, but 3 has taken the plunge and announced restrictions during peak periods for its mobile broadband customers starting from November 16th.

Official sources have revealed that peer to peer networking will be the only online facility managed under the new rules. Although there are no figures relating to the number of mobile broadband users who download files using P2P networks, the number must be significant enough to warrant the enforcement of such limitations.

It is understood that only the most congested mobile broadband cells will be subject to the limiting of P2P downloads, which means urbanised areas and city centres during peak time will suffer the most. The purpose of the management is to provide a better service to all customers rather than allowing P2P users to consume excessive bandwidth to the detriment of download speeds across the network.

Observers believe that a combination of falling mobile broadband package prices combined with more generous data allowances may be spurring on users to download files via P2P networks. It is also anticipated that many more mobile broadband providers will jump on the connection management bandwagon as mobile broadband use continues to grow. Low package prices in conjunction with deals such as the Orange mobile broadband free laptop could see mobile congestion and peak period throttling becoming more commonplace.

Experts have expressed some doubt as to 3’s plans to manage P2P traffic, explaining that many P2P users will simply switch to other methods such as file sharing sites and VPNs run by businesses to continue to download larger files via mobile broadband. There are also fears that the newly implemented connection management system may have some growing pains to endure before it operates correctly.

The increasingly popular route to getting your hands on a free or cheap laptop by signing up for a mobile broadband contract has got 2 additional options thanks to O2 Mobile.

The maths for these mobile broadband and laptop offers is interesting. The monthly costs for a contract with a laptop is higher than a ’standard’ contract and it does require a two year commitment. However, the incremental charge can be of the order of £250 over the term of the contract (although it can be more, so do the sums) – £250 or so for a laptop is a not a bad price but its notional cost being spread over the course of 24 months is what makes these offers rather attractive.

The latest deal from O2 mobile broadband is for either an Asus 1005H laptop or a Samsung R519 laptop with a 24 month contract – whichever option you go for there is a £29.38 charge for the laptop. The monthly charge is then £24.48 (3Gb download limit) or £34.36 (10Gb) for the Asus 1005H and £34.26 (3Gb) or £44.05 (10Gb) for the Samsung R519.

These types of mobile broadband and laptop offers are becoming more widespread and will appeal to a wide range of mobile broadband customers but particularly those who wish to avoid the upfront costs of a laptop. Students are a clear target here but in times or recession where poor cash flow affects many people these deals will have wider appeal.

3 Mobile Broadband is offering a voucher code that gives £3 per month off to customers signing up to their a 5Gb Mobile Broadband 18 month contract. This 3 Mobile deal is not available on the high street.

To take advantage of this 3 Mobile Broadband deal here’s what you need to do…

• Click this link to get to the 3 Mobile website
• Select ‘Mobile Broadband’
• Pick the ‘5Gb Mobile Broadband 18 month contract’ (£15)
• Pick your modem (choice of one!)
• Click ‘Buy Now’
• Enter 3MBB3OFF in the box marked ‘Got promo code?’
• Check out

The expiry date for this offer has not been announced so it is probably best to take it up quickly, before 3 Mobile change their mind on this deal!

Don’t forget, you will still get a free USB modem and free pay-as-you-go SIM for a friend, as with the standard 5Gb deal, there is no change to that – other than that you get £3 off every month!

You get the standard 3.6Mb connection, and 5Gb usage is plenty for surfing the internet on your travels. Sign up here for this 3 Mobile Broadband deal.

Sign up to a mobile broadband deal with Orange and get a free laptop! A selection of laptops are available, they are either free or very cheap depending on the package which you choose. For example, a Samsung N310 with Orange 5Gb mobile broadband on a 24 month contract would be free!

Click here to find out more about the Orange Free Laptop Offer.

If you do not want a long contract there are many other options with short contracts on our mobile broadband comparison table.

It has been announced that Vodafone has joined Orange and O2 as a reseller of the universally adored iPhone. The UK is the only major country which has more than one network offering the iPhone and, while the exact terms are not known, this newly created competitive market must only be good news for the consumer.