If you still have not signed up for a mobile broadband plan, now's the time.
The slew of hot mobile Internet devices (MIDs) such as the iPhone 3G will make going online fast and easy.
So, whether you are at a taxi stand, bus-stop or a secluded part of the beach, getting hooked is almost guaranteed.
But to put a finger on things - what's mobile broadband about?
Essentially, it allows you, via a simple device called a USB broadband modem (the size of a USB drive) attached to the laptop - to hop online to your heart's content.
At just about anywhere in Singapore, you can get hooked up to the Internet to browse the Web, watch YouTube video and access e-mail. By inserting the modem into your laptop anywhere in Singapore, it'll fire up a 3/3.5G connection to the Internet.
But how does mobile broadband make hopping onto the Net fast and easy?
The scene last December, with 6,500 Wireless@SG hotspots around the island, meant that coverage was chiefly limited to areas in the business districts and the busy shopping belts.
Users also complained that the service never lived up to its maximum speed of 512Kbps.
Today, the infrastructure has improved: With HSDPA (high-speed downlink packet access) - or 3.5G - surfing speeds are about nine to 18 times faster than the 3G network.
Coverage of the 3.5G network has been improved tremendously as the service providers have upgraded and expanded their equipment to cover the whole of Singapore.
Also, there are faster and cheaper mobile broadband access plans from all three service providers - SingTel, M1 and StarHub.
But if you still need more nudging than others, here are the niggling doubts answered.
I already have a home broadband plan. Why do I need a mobile broadband plan?
Instead of having a separate home ADSL or cable modem and a mobile broadband line, simply subscribe to the latter. This frees you to use the mobile plan just about anywhere.
When you are out and about, simply plug in a device called a mobile broadband USB dongle to your laptop and fire away online.
Back home, you can continue to use it connected to the laptop or simply detach the USB modem and connect it to your home desktop PC.
But won't I take a hit with the slow connection speeds?
Not really, the USB modems provided by the three service providers are capable of a 3.6Mbps download and 384Kbps upload speed. That compares favourably with your home broadband connection.
StarHub's MaxMobile Ultimate subscription with 7.2Mbps download and 1.9Mbps upload speeds is fast enough to satisfy the movie buff who wants to download a title from the iTunes store or the corporate warrior who needs to submit his marketing plan, complete with illustrations, movie clips and sales forecast.
In my tests around town, I was pleasantly surprised by the connection speeds I got. Tests on my home desktop PC showed that in some cases, the mobile broadband download speed was just about half that of my 8Mbps ADSL line. However, upload speeds were about the same.
I hardly felt the difference between my ADSL and mobile broadband connection.
How restricted are my movements?
My tests showed that the connection was on whether I was on the train or speeding down the expressway in the taxi at over 80km per hour.
Which mobile data plan is right for me?
The plans vary from vendor to vendor. If you download tons of files, be aware of SingTel's limit of 50GB a month for the Mobile 1000, 2000 and 3000 plans. StarHub's MaxMobile SurfLite and Ultimate, on the other hand, come with unlimited data access.
The same goes for M1's Broadband 1000, 2000 and 3600 plans.
How do I get on board?
If you want to connect to the Net via your laptop, sign up for a mobile broadband plan that comes with a USB dongle. Installation is straight-forward: Simply attach the USB modem to your PC or laptop and the drivers and software, and you are ready to go in less than five minutes.
To use a smartphone, assuming you already have a 3G-ready SIM card, just upgrade your voice plan to include the mobile data subscription. If not, you will have to upgrade your old 2G SIM card.
Prices vary from as low as $3.21 a month for existing SingTel customers.
Top of the line offering is StarHub's MaxMobile Ultimate plan for $72.76.
M.K. Wong is an entrepreneur and freelance writer.
This story was first published in The Straits Times on 13 August 2008.
