Virgin Mobile Broadband
Prepaid Mobile Broadband Review
Virgin mobile broadband created quite a stir when they announced their entry into the prepaid mobile broadband arena.
With a decision to resell Sprint's services, they have a short-term prepaid solution that allows one to buy data airtime as needed without a contract. Not long after, Sprint acquired Virgin Mobile.
Virgin Mobile Broadband In A Nutshell
Virgin Mobile sums up the highlights of their service in about a minute. Get the unadvertised details below.
Virgin Mobile Prepaid Plans & Prices
There are 4 Virgin Mobile prepaid plans for mobile broadband ranging from $10 to $60. They are definitely not intended for long-term use.Similar to ReadyBroadband & Slingshot, Virgin Mobile prepaid plans work based on a "Pay As You Go" system.
When you run low on data airtime, you can 'top up' by purchasing more (just like a prepaid phone).
The only downside is that the maximum time you can use a data session for 30 days upon activation.
Virgin mobile broadband speed is the same as Sprint's. Average downloads of 600-1400 Kbps and 350-500 Kbps uploads. Bursts get up to 3.1 Mbps on the downlink and 1.8 Mbps on the uplink.Since Virgin mobile resells 3G services, their speed is inherited from the original source.
That source is Sprint.
You can expect "average download speeds of 600-1400 Kbps, peaking at 3.1 Mbps, and 350-500 Kbps average upload speeds, peaking at 1.8 Mbps. Similar to DSL, and about ten times faster than using a dial-up modem"
Naturally, real-world speeds are different.
Virgin mobile 3G coverage mirrors Sprint's.
The difference is in the roaming coverage. Virgin has none.Again, since Virgin inherits the characteristics of the Sprint mobile broadband network, they also inherit their coverage…to a certain extent.
The big difference is that Virgin's 3G coverage does not include Sprint's roaming areas.
That means you'll have good coverage in most places but not as many as Sprint itself.
Probable cause?
$$$
Virgin Broadband Cards & AirCards
To be honest, its more like Virgin Broadband Card. They've only got one & it’s the Novatel Ovation MC760. It'll run you about $99.
The Ovation MC760 is the same as the Sprint U760. The only difference between the two is how it looks and the price ($99)
Check out the Prepaid Mobile Broadband Comparison to see how Virgin matches up against the other prepaid mobile broadband carriers out there.
Need more info? Check out the rest of the mobile broadband reviews.
