Customers who sign up to Vodafone mobile broadband will have the chance to purchase a laptop with built-in 3G connectivity. Vodafone has teamed up with Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo to offer a new range of ThinkPad notebooks with mobile broadband as standard, which will retail at around the same price as a regular laptop.
Vodafone customers will be able to purchase new ThinkPad notebooks in the T and X Series and on all of Lenovo’s new ThinkPad SL Series notebooks. Vodafone is offering a no-obligation 30-day free trial to customers who buy one of the laptops. At the end of the trial, users will be given the chance to take out a contract, starting at around £12 per month (not including international roaming). The SL series of notebooks is aimed at small businesses and comes with shiny casing, rather than Lenovo’s customary matt black exterior. According to analysts at the information technology research and advisory firm Gartner, “internal 3G modules will perform significantly better than external solutions for signal strength.”
Vodafone UK director of enterprise Mark Bond said: “Mobile broadband has come of age with its inclusion by default into Lenovo’s entire range of ThinkPad notebooks. This move clearly demonstrates Lenovo’s commitment to delivering real benefit to business customers.”
Customers who wish to get online with a different mobile operator will not find it so easy: they will need to install a different SIM and download alternative connection software, instead of the pre-installed software which only works with Vodafone.
Vodafone says that laptops with pre-installed 3G are likely to become the norm in about a year. In order to generate sales, the operator is offering roaming with unlimited data usage from £8.50 a day in Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and the USA.
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peter said on 21 Jul 2008 at 7:08 am #
Over the next couple of months broadband providers will face new competition. Companies are on their way and will be available on some of the biggest names. Currently T-Mobile, Vodafone and Three have announced their tariffs with Orange rumored to follow suit by the start of next year (2008).