Vodafone teams up with laptop provider Lenovo to have mobile broadband built in

Lenovo have teamed up with Vodafone in the UK to offer mobile broadband built in to the laptop to save customers having to invest in a separate USB model/dongle, without adding extra costs to the model.

Customers will be able to purchase all of Lenovo’s new ThinkPad SL Series notebooks with the new connectivity option. Despite Vodafone’s deals with laptop manufacturers, the operator’s head of laptop connectivity, Alec Howard, said the devices would not be sold in Vodafone stores.

Vodafone will offer a 30 day free trial in the first instance to all Lenovo customers, who will then have the option to continue using the built-in connection. This will ensure that Levono don’t put customers off their laptop range who don’t want to use the built-in mobile broadband connection at this time.

The new ThinkPad range will be available from the 4 August 2008 and it is thought that this will expand to include other notebooks later in 2008.

Vodafone say that customers connecting outside the UK won't be caught with high roaming charges either. It costs just £8.50 a day for unlimited connection and data around Europe, USA and Japan.

Earlier in July, we have seen how 3 were forced to take action concerning excessive data roaming charges whilst abroad.

Data roaming costs are increasingly under scrutiny after the European Commission forced operators last year to cut their voice roaming rates within Europe.

To view all mobile broadband deals currently available from Vodafone, visit out Vodafone Mobile Broadband page.