ADSL VS Mobile 3G - Rural Areas

There is a real problem with adsl/broadband sapo/clix/etc services over phone networks in rural areas in Portugal.

The problem is that as most phone cables in rural areas go overhead via posts and junctions that are susceptible to lightning strikes, it is a bit of a lottery.

I have had one situation in the past year where the fax line at a rural location blew a fuse three times in as many months. If a sapo/clix/etc modem or router has been attached, it would have probably been toast.

I had foreseen this, however, and had installed broadband over the mobile phone network from Vodafone.

For those folk in rural areas who have a good line of sight to a 3G equipped mobile phone mast and who only use internet for basic services such email, browsing the web and the odd skype, the answer is one of the broadband services over the mobile phone network offered by Vodafone/Optimus Kanguru/TMN.

The usb modem dongle just connects to a usb slot on a pc or laptop and away you go.

The rates are not as good as sapo if you are doing massive downloads but not bad for basic use.