Reliance ZTE MF668 (21.6 Mbps) and Huawei E173 (7.2 Mbps) data cards

Gone are the days when you would depend on the wired network for broadband access today you can get amazing speed from a mobile broadband dongle that is compact, portable and is plug & play ready. The Reliance 3G Mobile Broadband Dongle can give speed up to.. hold your breath…28 Mbps.

Even though Reliance claims that their 3G broadband dongle can achieve a speed of up to 28 Mbps the “up to” words does not mean you will surf at full speed. Some of my friends who are using the Reliance 3G mobile Broadband Dongle are satisfied with the services and speed however none of them has achieved the speed of 28 Mbps.

Reliance 3G Mobile Broadband Dongle features

Reliance claims that it is the fastest mobile broadband in India next to Tata DOCOMO that gives a speed of up to 21.6 Mbps. You can use these 3G services from your mobile, 3G modem or USB dongle. I prefer the USB Dongle (like the Tata Photon) as it is portable and you can carry high speed internet anywhere you want. Just plug in the USB dongle in any PC or a laptop or even on Tablets (if it supports) and you can enjoy high speed wireless internet connection.

You may not achieve very high speed internet access on mobile phones or smartphones that supports 3G without HSPA+ support. If you have a mobile phone with 3G (HSPA+) support then you can use your phone or better use the USB dongle.

Reliance 3G dongle

The 3G dongle is available in 2 variants namely the ZTE MF668 and the Huawei E173.

ZTE MF668

This 3G dongle supports HSPA+ at 2100 MHz, WCDMA, EDGE and GPRS. With the ZTE MF668 you can reach the maximum speed of up to 21.6 Mbps. The MF668 dongle is easy to use just plug into a USB 2.0 port and you are ready to rock. This dongle also comes with built-in storage slot that supports up to 32GB card.

ZTE MF668 Price Rs. 4,499

Huawei E173

This dongle supports HSUPA at 2100 MHz this is comparatively slower than the ZTE MF668 because the maximum speed that this 3G modem supports is 7.2 Mbps. If you want to experience even higher speed, go for the ZTE version.

The Huawei E173 also supports WCDMA, EDGE, GPRS and is easy to use. It is a plug n play device that works on USB 2.0 port. This too comes with 32GB memory card slot that supports storage card up to 32GB.

Huawei E173 Price Rs. 2,000

3G Mobile Broadband Plans

You can either go prepaid or postpaid, however you need to subscribe to postpaid plan in case you are looking for unlimited option.

Reliance 3G Dongle Prepaid plan

There is pay as you go option where in you will be charged 10p per 10kb.

Volume based plan

Reliance 3G Dongle Postpaid plan

Here too you have a pay as you go option where in you will be charged 10p for 10kb for up to 50MB after which it will be 1p for every 10kb (within 1 bill cycle).

You do have a volume based postpaid plan but I prefer the unlimited one especially if you are going for the postpaid option.

Unlimited plan

Reliance 3G Dongle review

I am already using the Tata photon plus mobile broadband and am really satisfied with the speed. But I did check out the Reliance 3G dongle at my friend’s laptop and, had I not been using the Tata Photon, I would have opted for the Reliance 3G USB Dongle. Even though you can get a speed up to 28Mbps as Reliance claims, the 3G dongle supports only up to 21.6Mbps, moreover the unlimited plan option comes with 16Mbps speed limit, but overall it is an amazing experience.

The broadband speed on the ZTE MF668 dongle is definitely faster than the Tata Photon plus that I am using.

For more information and to buy the 3G dongle visit Reliance website.