Mobile broadband technology in Denmark

There are many ways to get access to the internet using mobile broadband, and the most common technology is quite different in many parts of the world. Most ISPs tell you that their network is “3G” or “4G”, but that doesn’t actually tell you which technology they use. That means that if you have a 3G modem, it may not work with the 3G network in an other country.

This article is about the technologies, but you might also want to read about the frequencies used in Denmark.

In Denmark UMTS and HSPA+ is the most used 3G and turbo 3G technologies. The four biggest networks for mobile broadband (Telia, Telenor, 3 and TDC) are all based on these technologies.

LTE is the technology for the 4G-network in Denmark. Currently Telia and TDC are the only companies offering 4G-subscriptions to consumers. It is very fast, but many USB-modems don’t support LTE and the coverage is mostly restricted to the larger towns and cities.

If you have a modem that supports these technologies – and especially the 3G-technologies – you should be able to use your USB-modem with a Danish subscription or pre-paid sim-card, unless it has been sim-locked because you are contracted to your ISP. Under normal circumstances you should not use your subscription from your own country in Denmark! It will be very expensive.

Read about mobile broadband coverage in Denmark

The signal for normal conversations in cellphones is based on GSM. It is also used to get access to the internet in areas with bad 3G and 4G-coverage – however, it is very slow.

There are also WIMAX and CDMA-technology in Denmark – however, these technologies do not support sim-cards, and therefore you will most likely not be able to use your device from your own country to get access to the WIMAX and CDMA networks. The UMTS and HSPA+ networks are also much more widespread in Denmark.

Wired connections

The traditional internet is being sent using cables made of copper. However, optical fiber is becomming more common, but it is still very expensive to get a new fiber connection compared to the copper solutions, not to mention that for many residents it’s not even possible. Most houses already have copper cable access anyway.