Using a SIM to access the web

When I first came to the UAE, I had a technique for accessing the internet. I took a wireless-USB modem, plugged it into a USB extension cord and threw it out my window. I could almost always pick up a signal.

I eventually got internet access installed, but that's a story for another time.

Needless to say, fishing for an unsecured signal wasn't an ideal way of getting on the internet, but most other solutions had failed. Using Bluetooth as a way to turn my phone into a modem is a great idea, but it never worked.

Over the last year, though, a few companies have finally gotten smart and found a way to remove the middle man, or should I say middle phone.

3G-connected laptops, which allow users to plug the mobile phone SIM chips directly into the computer, are now on the rise, and they are even beginning to find their way into the markets of the UAE. I got to see a demonstration of this technology last week from the guys at Siemens-Fujitsu.

They're not the only folks with 3G-connected computers - Dell is currently offering one too, and Acer has said that is expecting to roll out a model later this year - but Siemens was the first to drag journalists out into the middle of the desert and show us this technology does work.

As long as you have a SIM card and can pick up a mobile network, provided that both are 3G compatible, you can get on the internet.

The speed isn't bad either. We were able to send several jpegs via email in reasonable time. That means I don't know how long it actually took, but it was 10 minutes between the time the "send" button was pushed was sent and the time I got to the receiving computer.

etisalat estimates that transmission speeds of up to 1.8 mbps can be reached with its 3.5G card. If you're not within range of a 3G network, you slow down to 64 kbps. If you're willing to dish out Dh850, you can get a USB modem for your SIM card that will boost speeds as high as 7.2 mbps.

While I'm not planning on dumping my home internet connection for a 3G connection, I could see some people who might do this. Both du and etisalat are offering 3G plans. It's not cheap, but it's far for prohibitive either.

I've only had two issues with the technology so far, and both are minor. The first is that I want to plug the SIM card directly into a slot, like I do with an SD card. On the computer I saw, the SIM slot could only be accessed by removing the battery.

The second issue was software. If I'm going to plug a SIM chip into my computer, I want to be able to use it for everything it's worth.

Currently, the software on the Siemens-Fujitsu computers will allow you to send SMS, MMS and access the internet, but it won't allow you to make a phone call, yet.

OK, again that's minor since I can dish out some cash for a duplicate SIM card, but if you're going to put a SIM card in a computer, let's do it right.

3G-connected laptops, which allow users to plug the mobile phone SIM chips directly into the computer, are now on the rise, and they are even beginning to find their way into the markets of the UAE.