Mobile broadband has changed internet landscape of Pakistan. Just one year since the spectrum launch and number of broadband users have more than doubled. Having your phone simply turn into a high-speed broadband service makes a major difference to way you can access the internet.
But is it cost-effective?
Residential Broadband
Compared to residential broadband service, mobile broadband is not cost effective. To give you an idea, check the following table of residential broadband
| ISP | Package | Monthly Rent | Data Cap | Average Cost per Gigabyte |
| PTCL | 2 Mbps Unlimited | Rs. 1,549/- | 300 GB | Rs. 5.163 per Gigabyte |
| Qubee | 2 Mbps Conquer Max | Rs. 1,800/- | 70 GB | Rs. 25.7 per Gigabyte |
| Wi-Tribe | 2 Mbps Unlimited | Rs. 2,099/- | 45 GB | Rs. 46.64 per Gigabyte |
| Worldcall | 2 Mbps | Rs. 1,000/- | No limit (assuming 300 GB) | Rs. 3.33 per Gibabyte |
For consistency only 2 Mbps speed packages have been compared and their average cost calculated. Worldcall actually has no data cap for residential broadband, though for consistency sake the data cap was assumed equal to PTCL’s.
As evident, wired residential broadband is quite cheap with rates as low as Rs. 3 per GB while Wimax services are a bit expensive. Still, these are manageable costs.
Cost of Mobile Broadband
Compared to residential broadband, mobile broadband particularly Dongles, Wingles and MiFi devices are in a whole different price bracket. The following table will shed light on average data cost of the four 3G service providers with Dongles, Wingles and MiFi offerings.
| ISP | Package | Cost | Data Cap | Average Cost per Gigabyte |
| Mobilink | Best Internet Bundle | Rs. 1,500/- | 15 GB | Rs. 100 per Gigabyte |
| Telenor | Connect 3G | Rs. 1,500/- | 30 GB | Rs. 50 per Gigabyte |
| Zong | 3G Wingle Starter Pack | Rs. 1,500/- | 20 GB | Rs. 75 per Gigabyte |
| Warid | Wingle Smart | Rs. 1,500/- | 15 GB | Rs. 100 per Gigabyte |
For consistency, only packages of price Rs. 1,500/- were compared. As evident, each GB data is more expensive for mobile broadband than residential, the lowest package more expensive than the expensive Wimax internet.
It is good to have internet on the go, one that you can plug-and-play whenever needed, but it comes with a higher price tag. When choosing a mobile broadband package, it is not only the coverage that should be considered but also the cost of using internet.
Do you use any mobile broadband package? Is the price agreeable to you? Let us know in the comments below.
