Top 5 mobile broadband deals for March

As the sun begins to poke its head out from behind a very long winter, our minds start to turn to the brighter days ahead. Perhaps you're starting to think of your summer holidays, or getting away for Easter. Maybe you'll be heading off to uni in the autumn, or maybe you'll be going travelling first.

Simply popping down to the park to get out of your home or office can really get your day back on track. While businessmen will start thinking that those meetings at the other end of the country you've been putting off due to wet and icy roads are suddenly looking more appealing. But whatever it is you're going to be doing to enjoy the warmer weather, chances are you'll be wanting to stay in touch via the internet.

Below I've picked out five of the hottest mobile broadband deals (mid-March 2010) currently on offer at Broadband Genie. You can click on the company's logo to be taken directly to their website and have the deal you want in no time. Alternatively, click on the company name to get a more detailed look at their dedicated page here on the site, where you can find comments from our visitors who have used the services, as well as useful company info and awards.

O2 Mobile Broadband: If you're toying with the idea of mobile broadband but have been put off by a big outlay, then here's the perfect chance to get online on the move. Until the end of March, you can get an O2 mobile broadband pay as you go dongle for the bargain price of just £10. Waiting for the catch? There isn't one – there's no contract, no extra purchase necessary. All you need do is buy the amount of data you want, on top of the £10 dongle cost, and away you go – there's even a 30-day happiness guarantee. A 24-hour pass will cost you just £2 (with a 500MB data limit) and you've even got the choice of a black or pink dongle too. Click for deal >

Vodafone Mobile Broadband: If O2's black and dark pink £10 dongles don't take your fancy, how about a pale blue, pink or white one from Vodafone? It also currently has £10 off of its pay as you dongle, the difference being this reduces the cost to £25. However, your extra pay out scores you 3GB worth of data credit, which is worth the extra £15 anyway. Vodafone advertises a slower 'up to' speed than O2 on its PAYG dongles right now, but you can take that with a bag of salt, let alone a pinch – you'll get similar performance out of both, although you'll want to make sure you check the coverage in areas you're likely to use them most.  Click for deal >

3 Mobile Broadband: If you've decided that mobile broadband is definitely the choice for you and are happy to sign up to a longer deal, this latest offer from 3 is definitely worth a look. In return for signing up on an 18-month tariff, you get a free dongle and a 5GB monthly download limit. Currently, if you enter the code 3MBB3OFF on its website, 3 will give you 20 per cent of the entire cost of the deal, meaning you pay only £12 per month instead of £15 per month. This has added extra value to an already popular deal. Click for deal >

T-Mobile: If young whipper-snapper 3 doesn't take your fancy, maybe you'd prefer the safety of an old stalwart such as T-Mobile. If so, your luck is in – it currently has £5 off for the first three months on its own 18-month contract, which has a 3GB monthly data download limit. While this falls shy of 3's 5GB offer, and you get less money off, T-Mobile tends to do better in speed and satisfaction surveys, while also charging you no extra if you exceed your data allowance – you just face getting your connection restricted at peak times, for downloading or streaming, as punishment.  Click for deal >

Orange Mobile Broadband: If you're looking for a larger unrestricted download limit, Orange currently has an offer on its 10GB per month deal. It's also an 18-month tariff, with a free dongle, and is normally £25 per month. However, if you snap it up right now you can get the first three months for half price – that's just £12.50 per month for the hard of maths. With so many data heavy websites out there nowadays, especially ones with streaming content such as the iPlayer and YouTube, this is definitely worth considering – especially if you're going to use mobile broadband as your main internet connection.  Click for deal >