Orange launches cut-price mobile broadband offer

Orange has beefed up its mobile broadband portfolio and shaken up the market by launching a sub-5-a-month deal.

The credit crunch-busting 4.89 offer also includes a free dongle and is available to both existing pay monthly and pay as you go customers, according to the mobile giant.

As part of an 18-month contract, users will get a 500Mb monthly allowance and speeds of up to 3.6Mbps.

Orange also launched a new range of Early Bird' tariffs starting at around 13 a month. Under these year-long contract deals, users can take advantage of unlimited broadband between midnight and 9am, boosting standard data allowances of 1GB, 3GB or 10GB depending on their price plan.

"We are committed to building our mobile broadband portfolio so it provides customers with a range of flexible solutions to suit the lifestyle they choose," said Asif Aziz, Orange's director of broadband and home, in a statement.

"We also want to ensure we reward existing Orange customers, and believe that by offering them the cheapest pay monthly mobile broadband on the market we really do offer great value for money."

In addition to the new price schemes, Orange also unveiled new software that will alert users as to just how much data they've consumed. The alert tool is available immediately as a free download.

All Orange mobile broadband customers will also benefit from a newly introduced monthly price cap, meaning they won't be charged more than an extra 40 a month if they exceed their allocated allowance.