How netbook broadband bundles stack up

Summary: O2 has launched a mobile broadband plan that includes a 'free' netbook — the last UK operator to do so. Here's a look at that and all the other netbook bundles on offer

By David Meyer | February 11, 2009 -- 15:02 GMT (07:02 PST)

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O2 is launching a mobile-broadband bundle that includes a 'free' netbook — making it the last UK mobile operator to start doing so.

The Spanish-owned operator announced on Wednesday that it will start selling Samsung's NC10 netbook (pictured) to British buyers on 27 February. It will also provide Samsung's R510 full-sized laptop on the same terms.

Those terms include a 24-month contract, in which a 3GB monthly data allowance will cost £29.38 per month, and a 10GB allowance will cost £39.15 per month. Going over the allowance will incur a charge of 19.6p per megabyte.

The 1.3kg NC10 has a 10.2-inch screen and uses Intel's 1.6GHz N270 Atom chipset. It runs Windows XP and includes a gigabyte of RAM and a 160GB hard drive.

All the other major UK operators already offer netbooks as part of mobile-broadband bundles. Larger laptops are available from most providers in similar deals; however, netbooks have always been pitched as ideal for mobile broadband, due to their light weight and small size.

The following pages show which netbooks are being offered by which operators, and on which terms. The common thread is that every deal is based on a 24-month contract.