<s>
A	O
mobile	B-Device
broadband	I-Device
modem	I-Device
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
wireless	B-Device
modem	I-Device
or	O
cellular	B-Device
modem	I-Device
,	O
is	O
a	O
type	O
of	O
modem	B-Application
that	O
allows	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
or	O
a	O
router	B-Protocol
to	O
receive	O
wireless	B-General_Concept
Internet	O
access	O
via	O
a	O
mobile	O
broadband	O
connection	O
instead	O
of	O
using	O
telephone	O
or	O
cable	O
television	O
lines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
mobile	O
Internet	O
user	O
can	O
connect	O
using	O
a	O
wireless	B-Device
modem	I-Device
to	O
a	O
wireless	B-General_Concept
Internet	O
Service	O
Provider	O
(	O
ISP	O
)	O
to	O
get	O
Internet	O
access	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
some	O
analogue	O
mobile	O
phones	O
provided	O
a	O
standard	O
RJ11	O
telephone	O
socket	O
into	O
which	O
a	O
normal	O
landline	O
modem	B-Application
could	O
be	O
plugged	O
,	O
this	O
only	O
provided	O
slow	O
dial-up	O
connections	O
,	O
usually	O
2.4	O
kilobit	O
per	O
second	O
(	O
kbit/s	O
)	O
or	O
less	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
next	O
generation	O
of	O
phones	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
2G	O
(	O
for	O
'	O
second	O
generation	O
 '	O
)	O
,	O
were	O
digital	O
,	O
and	O
offered	O
faster	O
dial-up	O
speeds	O
of	O
9.6kbit/s	O
or	O
14.4kbit/s	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
a	O
separate	O
modem	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
release	O
of	O
2.5G	O
phones	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
packet	B-Protocol
data	I-Protocol
changed	O
this	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2.5G	O
networks	O
break	O
both	O
digital	O
voice	O
and	O
data	O
into	O
small	O
chunks	O
,	O
and	O
mix	O
both	O
onto	O
the	O
network	O
simultaneously	O
in	O
a	O
process	O
called	O
packet	B-Protocol
switching	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PC	O
needs	O
to	O
send	O
a	O
special	O
telephone	O
number	O
to	O
the	O
phone	O
to	O
get	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
packet	B-Protocol
data	I-Protocol
connection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
3G	B-Architecture
networks	I-Architecture
have	O
taken	O
this	O
approach	O
to	O
a	O
higher	O
level	O
,	O
using	O
different	O
underlying	O
technology	O
but	O
the	O
same	O
principles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
now	O
increased	O
internet	O
speed	O
,	O
internet	O
connection	O
sharing	O
via	O
WLAN	B-Architecture
has	O
become	O
a	O
workable	O
reality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devices	O
which	O
allow	O
internet	O
connection	O
sharing	O
or	O
other	O
types	O
of	O
routing	O
on	O
cellular	O
networks	O
are	O
called	O
also	O
cellular	B-Device
routers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
of	O
the	O
mobile	O
network	O
operators	O
that	O
provide	O
3G	B-Architecture
or	O
faster	O
wireless	B-General_Concept
internet	O
access	O
offer	O
plans	O
and	O
wireless	B-Device
modems	I-Device
that	O
enable	O
computers	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
and	O
access	O
the	O
internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
wireless	B-Device
modems	I-Device
are	O
typically	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
small	O
USB	B-Protocol
based	O
device	O
or	O
a	O
small	O
,	O
portable	O
mobile	O
hotspot	O
that	O
acts	O
as	O
a	O
WiFi	B-Device
access	I-Device
point	I-Device
(	O
hotspot	O
)	O
to	O
enable	O
multiple	O
devices	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WiMAX	O
based	O
services	O
that	O
provide	O
high	O
speed	O
wireless	B-General_Concept
internet	O
access	O
are	O
available	O
in	O
some	O
countries	O
and	O
also	O
rely	O
on	O
wireless	B-Device
modems	I-Device
that	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
provider	O
's	O
wireless	B-General_Concept
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wireless	B-General_Concept
USB	B-Device
modems	I-Device
are	O
nicknamed	O
as	O
"	O
dongles	B-Device
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
3G	B-Architecture
mobile	I-Architecture
broadband	O
modems	B-Application
used	O
the	O
PCMCIA	B-Architecture
or	O
ExpressCard	B-Device
ports	O
,	O
commonly	O
found	O
on	O
legacy	O
laptops	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
expression	O
"	O
connect	B-Device
card	I-Device
"	O
(	O
instead	O
of	O
connection	O
card	O
)	O
had	O
been	O
registered	O
and	O
used	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
by	O
Vodafone	O
as	O
brand	O
for	O
its	O
products	O
but	O
now	O
is	O
become	O
a	O
brandnomer	O
or	O
genericized	O
trademark	O
used	O
in	O
colloquial	O
or	O
commercial	O
speech	O
for	O
similar	O
product	O
,	O
made	O
by	O
different	O
manufacturers	O
,	O
too	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Major	O
producers	O
are	O
Huawei	O
,	O
Option	O
N.V.	O
,	O
Novatel	O
Wireless	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
recently	O
,	O
the	O
expression	O
"	O
connect	B-Device
card	I-Device
"	O
is	O
also	O
used	O
to	O
identify	O
internet	O
USB	B-Protocol
keys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Often	O
a	O
mobile	O
network	O
operator	O
will	O
supply	O
a	O
'	O
locked	O
 '	O
modem	B-Application
or	O
other	O
wireless	B-General_Concept
device	O
that	O
can	O
only	O
be	O
used	O
on	O
their	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Standalone	O
mobile	B-Device
broadband	I-Device
modems	I-Device
are	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
connected	O
directly	O
to	O
one	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
past	O
the	O
PCMCIA	B-Architecture
and	O
ExpressCard	B-Device
standards	O
were	O
used	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
USB	B-Protocol
connectivity	O
became	O
almost	O
universal	O
,	O
these	O
various	O
standards	O
were	O
largely	O
superseded	O
by	O
USB	B-Device
modems	I-Device
in	O
the	O
early	O
21st	O
century	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
mobile	B-Device
broadband	I-Device
modems	I-Device
sold	O
nowadays	O
also	O
have	O
built-in	O
routing	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
provide	O
traditional	O
networking	O
interfaces	O
such	O
as	O
Ethernet	O
,	O
USB	B-Protocol
and	O
Wi-Fi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Numerous	O
smartphones	B-Application
support	O
the	O
Hayes	B-Device
command	I-Device
set	I-Device
and	O
therefore	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
mobile	B-Device
broadband	I-Device
modem	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Internet-accessing	O
smartphone	B-Application
may	O
have	O
the	O
same	O
capabilities	O
as	O
a	O
standalone	O
modem	B-Application
,	O
and	O
,	O
when	O
connected	O
via	O
a	O
USB	B-Protocol
cable	O
to	O
a	O
computer	O
,	O
can	O
serve	O
as	O
a	O
modem	B-Application
for	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Smartphones	B-Application
with	O
built-in	O
Wi-Fi	O
also	O
typically	O
provide	O
routing	O
and	O
wireless	B-Device
access	I-Device
point	I-Device
facilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
competing	O
common	O
carriers	O
broadcasting	B-Operating_System
signal	O
in	O
most	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mobile	B-Device
broadband	I-Device
modems	I-Device
often	O
use	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
CD-ROM	I-Application
switching	I-Application
utility	I-Application
and	O
have	O
the	O
device	O
drivers	O
on	O
board	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Those	O
modems	B-Application
have	O
two	O
modes	O
,	O
a	O
USB	B-Protocol
flash	O
drive	O
mode	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
other	O
mode	O
they	O
are	O
a	O
modem	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Via	O
the	O
USB	B-Protocol
Protocol	O
.	O
</s>
