Comparison of Mobile Broadband Wireless Plans

Verizon offers four different plans that will work with 3G or 4G wireless Internet. As of July 2011, the most basic plan is $20 per month for 1 gigabyte of usage per month, while the second is $35 per month for 3 gigabytes of usage. The 5- gigabyte plan costs $50 per month, while the 10-gigabyte plan is $80 per month. All of these plans work with tablet computers. The 5- and 10-gigabyte plans work for netbook computers.

AT&T; has separate broadband plans for 3G Internet, 4G Internet and tablets. The 3G plans are $35 for three gigabytes per month and $60 for five gigabytes per month as of July 2011. The 4G plan is $50 per month for five gigabytes. If you have an iPad or other type of tablet, broadband is $14.99 per month for 250 megabytes of usage or $25 per month for 2 gigabytes of usage.

Sprint offers a broadband plan for unlimited 4G Internet usage for $49.99 per month as of July 2011. This plan includes no 3G usage, so you would want to check 4G availability in your area before getting this plan. Sprint's other plans all offer usage on 3G or 4G networks. You get 3 gigabytes for $44.99 per month, 5 gigabytes for $59.99 per month or 10 gigabytes for $89.99 per month. The gigabyte limits all apply to 3G usage, as 4G usage is unlimited for all plans.

T-Mobile has three different broadband options as of July 2011. These plans work when accessing all T-Mobile Wi-Fi hot spots, whether they are 3G or 4G. The lowest level plan is $39.99 per month for 2 gigabytes of data usage, while the next step up is $49.99 per month for 5 gigabytes of usage. The highest level broadband plan costs $84.99 per month for 10 gigabytes of usage.