3G networks promise good internet speeds on your mobile phones. If you are using a high end smartphone, 3G networks can be indispensable to run the entire range of high end applications installed on them. But, 3G may not work effectively on your mobile phone due to many reasons like use of inappropriate browsers and weak signal to your phone. Sometimes the 3G speed on your phones may start to plummet as your phone gets older.
3G networks can be effectively used to their full potentiality, if the negative elements that impact their performance are detected and properly corrected. Also, 3G data rates are much higher than the 2G data service. So, it is important to use the 3G data effectively on your mobile phone to save money. If you are having the unlimited 3G data plan then, you can enjoy the unlimited browsing, video chatting, video streaming, downloading, gaming, social networking etc. without worrying about the 3G data usage. But if it is not the unlimited 3G then, it can cost you lots of money.
The tips and tricks for the effective use of 3G on your mobile phones are given below which will provide you how to consume less data while using 3G on smartphone and how to get the best 3G speed.
How to Use 3G Internet Effectively on Mobile Phone
Clear Browser Cache Periodically
The browser cache is built to store files that need to be accessed frequently to run your phone browser. In the course of your usage, the browser cache gets full and negatively affects the performance of your phone. You may start to experience slower 3G speeds while browsing internet on your phone. A simple solution to this problem is to clean your browser cache periodically. The browser cache on your iPhone can be cleared by clicking on ‘Settings’ on your home page followed by ‘Safari’ and ‘Clear Cache’. If you use BlackBerry then go to the ‘Options’ menu of your browser and click on ‘Clear Browsing Data’ followed by ‘Clear Now’.
Use Faster Web Browsers
The default browsers available on mobile phones like Safari, Android and the BlackBerry browser are highly data intensive. They generally download the full web page including all the images and graphics in it just like a regular desktop browser. This will impact the speed of internet access on your mobile phone even when using 3G networks. A good tip to overcome this problem is using faster mobile web browsers like Opera Mini. Opera Mini routes all the web page requests through its servers.
The data is processed and compressed before it is sent to your mobile phone browser. This process reduces the amount of data transferred and increases the 3G internet speed by two to three times. Pre-processing of web pages also increases their compatibility with your mobile phone browser. Opera Mini is available for all mobile platforms like iPhone, Android, Symbian and BlackBerry devices.
Use Mobile Versions of Websites
Web pages are by default designed for desktop web browsers. These web pages are huge in size and consume lot of data when downloaded on mobile phone browsers. In contrast, now-a-days many websites have their mobile versions called as WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) sites. WAP sites are generally light and don’t contain any high resolution images or graphics. Accessing WAP sites when browsing internet from your mobile phones will improve the 3G internet speed. BlackBerry browser can access WAP sites on its own and there is no need install a separate browser. iPhone users can download and use the ‘Wapzilla’ browser to access WAP sites.
Manage Apps Properly
Managing the apps installed on your mobile phone is crucial as they consumer most of the data downloaded from the 3G network. Close all the unused mobile apps on your mobile phone. Unused apps continue to consume data and put lot of load on the mobile phone’s processor. Quitting the unused apps will improve the 3G internet speed on your phone. You can also install memory management apps to properly monitor the memory usage of your mobile phone. Apart from, monitoring the memory usage of your mobile phone, memory management apps help in stopping any apps which are not in use. Memory management apps are available for the Android, iPhone and BlackBerry devices.
Update Phone’s OS Regularly
Update your mobile phone’s software regularly so that 3G works effectively on it. Mobile phone companies give lot of security updates periodically for their devices so that they don’t get infected with viruses easily. Resetting mobile data counters and other logs will free your mobile phone’s memory and increase 3G speed.
The speed of 3G networks also depend on the strength of network's signal. While the above steps can go a long way in facilitating the effective use of 3G network on your mobile phone, it should not be forgotten that the quality of network that your service provider offers is the primary determinant of the effectiveness of 3G speed on your mobile phone. The technology used by your service provider will also have an effect on 3G speed. Service providers who use latest 3G standards like HSPA+ can offer better 3G speeds to their subscribers. So, it is prudent to select a service provider offering good network quality and latest technologies.
Personally, I browse the Internet most of the time of the day from my smartphone only. And since I am a heavy user, having a limited Internet data plan does not plan help me much. So, having the unlimited 3G is the best for users like me. There are few things which I can do freely by having an unlimited 3G plan on my smartphone :
1. I can download bulky apps and games on my smartphone anytime from anywhere. Earlier for downloading a bulky game like Asphalt 6, I used to wait to be home and use WiFi to download the
2. Tethering and WiFi Hotspot features are getting really common in the latest smartphones. Having an unlimited 3G plan can save you lots of money as you can use your 3G data to browse the Internet on your computer and laptops. You do not even need to have a basic broadband etc for your other devices if you are having the unlimited 3G on your smartphone.
3. The best thing is that having a high speed 3G on my smartphone will help me in faster browsing and getting content and ideas for my blogs. I can easily update my blogs having large images and videos without any issue, on the go.
4. I am a social media junkie and having unlimited 3G, will help me in communicating on all my social media profiles easily. The basic of the social media is sharing. And with an unlimited 3G plan, you can easily share all your images and videos without worrying about the data usages.
These are few of the things on which unlimited 3G can help me. What you will do if you are having the unlimited 3G data plan on your smartphone?