Three Web Cube hopes to free us from the tyranny of BT

Amid all the snow chaos, here's something that has caught my eyes. And once again it is a new product by Three UK.

When I reviewed the new MiFi v3 (Huawei E586), I wondered if Three's decision to include a cradle with the MiFi was a precursor to something greater - a statement of intent to enter the home broadband market. Well they did - the recently announced Web Cube looks like a great alternative to those without broadband, or those wishing to gain home broadband without the commitment to a telephone line contract by British Telecom. At least for those in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leeds, where Three is conducting trials.

The HSPA+ certified Web Cube is basically a MiFi all dressed up for home comfort. The sleek case not only looks great, but houses a SIM card to enable instant broadband wherever you are - that is as long as you have a wall socket nearby. While not nearly as flexible as a MiFi, it is sold with a reasonable data plan. I was informed that it would be available for £15 a month on a rolling contract which gets you 10GB worth of data or £15.99 a month on a 24 month contract, which will net you 15GB a month data.

10GB or 15GB a month won't cut it for serial downloaders, and it certainty won't convert me to ditch my fixed line broadband yet. But there is a market for university students who move around a lot. When I was a student, I switched accommodation at least once a year, and because of that, was never able to afford a home broadband package. 10-15GB might not be a lot, but it is plenty for students who will no doubt abuse the internet network at their libraries.

But if Three UK introduce a AYCE plan with this, an has the infrastructure to support such heavy downloads - then I can see this is a suitable replacement to fixed line broadband. ;)

So what do you think? Would the Web Cube be enough to ditch BT?