Gone are the days of rusty dial-up Internet. Broadband speeds have increased constantly, and having a 256 kbps or a 512 kbps broadband connection at home is common, at least in urban India. Recently, after the introduction of 3G which is still awaiting its pan India rollout, broadband speeds have gone up to 16 Mbps.

3G has brought high-speed Internet to our mobile phones and data cards. But, even if you don't want 3G, there are a lot of GPRS based options for you.

Since Internet on the move has become such a necessity, laptops have overtaken desktops in sheer numbers, and data cards are needed by anyone who carries a laptop around. There are several options around, from big names like Reliance, Vodafone and Tata Indicom. The choices might leave you puzzled. That's why we've tried to analyze all the available options. Read on for a quick overview.

What is a Data Card?
A data card is a device which allows you to access the Internet though the mobile network of the service provider. The method is the same as used by the mobile phone to get connected to the service provider. But in the case of a data card, the primary objective is to gain connectivity for data transfer. The data card connects to your laptop or desktop using the USB port, and lets you access the Internet without any wires! We are seeing the introduction of 3G data cards in our country since some service providers have been allocated the spectrum and have been offering services. We will see more options when the other operators begin the services as well.

GPRS/EDGE data cards: The jokers of the pack?
These data cards provide a maximum speed of 247 Kbps and have been around for quite some time now. But most users complain that they slow down once they start using it. This is due to network congestion and signal reception. But, it is efficient for checking mails and light browsing. Reliance and Tata Indicom offer their services on the CDMA platform, while Airtel, Vodafone and Idea are on the GSM platform. However, this does not matter much in terms of connectivity and speeds to the end user. But keep in mind which service provider offers the maximum coverage area before you buy. This would include your place of residence, office and any specific places you may be visiting regularly.

Some of the best tariff plans that we have chosen for GPRS/EDGE based data cards from the different service providers are mentioned in the box above. Analyse your usage. If you are going to use the data card for several hours every day, we recommend the “unlimited” usage plans. Remember that it's not just downloads, but even surfing the web or checking mail counts towards your data usage. If you are a heavy user, an unlimited plan will avoid any unnecessary additional bills from the service provider. However, there are attractive limited usage plans to choose from as well. And no one can stop you from changing a plan if you feel that it doesn't suit your usage pattern.

3G Data Card: The new kid on the block
3G is the new buzzword for those who like to stay connected-on-the-move to high speed internet. 3G, or third generation networks offer high speeds for downloading and uploading-sometime even upto15 Mbps (our 3G speeds leave a lot to be desired, but we'll get there eventually).

This translates into true mobile broadband. Mails can be accessed faster, attachments can be downloaded quickly, video chats are less choppier, video streaming comes without buffering breaks and MP3 songs can be downloaded quicker than you can sync them to your media player. But since 3G is still in its nascent stage in India, it does come at a hefty premium, as illustrated by our tariff table. Also, 3G is not available everywhere in the country just yet. Coverage is currently limited to a few cities and a down to a few areas in those cities, it will be rolled-out steadily.