While I have tested this with Vodafone 3G and a Nokia 6630 phone, some of the techniques described in this document are likely to work with other mobile networks (both GPRS and 3G) and other mobile phones, particularly other Nokias running Symbian series 60 OS.
I would recommend using the USB cable instead of blue tooth for internet access for the following reasons:
Using this phone on Vodafone's 3G network, I've been able to download at 200kbps and upload at 64kbps. That's the data throughput, excluding overhead of TCP/IP. Theoretically, the raw throughput (which is reduced by protocol overhead) is 384kbps down and 128kbps up - that's more than any other Nokia phone in production at the time of writing in early 2005.
lsusb reveals many USB capabilities supported by this phone. One of these capabilities is AT class modem support. This means we can use the phone like a regular USB modem (which looks much like a regular serial modem, in a virtual sense) and connect with the pppd daemon.
Make sure USB and USB modem support is compiled into your kernel.
Connect the phone and type lsusb. You should see a line like the following:
Bus 003 Device 003: ID 0421:0410 Nokia Mobile Phones
This confirms that the computer can see the phone. If not, check you have the USB modules loaded properly and cable connected properly.
Now load the modem driver for USB class modems. Just type modprobe cdc-acm. If you get an error, you need to recompile your kernel with support for that module (unless the module is compiled into your kernel, in which case you don't need to worry.)
Now, put this script in /etc/chatscripts and this file in /etc/ppp/peers.
Type pppd call vodafone-gprs and press enter. You will be connected within about 1 second.
You need to edit the file /etc/ppp/peers/vodafone-gprs to suite your preferences. For instance, you may want to enable use of your provider's DNS, or you may be happy to manually specify your own by editing /etc/resolv.conf.
Vodafone may give you a 10.x.x.x IP address initially. Type ifconfig ppp0 to see what address they have given you. If you are planning to run VoIP or VPN applications, you will want a regular IP address - ring customer care on 191 and tell them "I am connecting to my office VPN using my laptop and Nokia 6630. I am using Vodafone as my ISP. I required a regular IP address.". If the person you are speaking to isn't sure what to do, or if they refer you to your IT department, insist that it is a network issue and request to speak to someone in the "technical team".
Furthermore, Vodafone uses the default gateway IP address 10.6.6.6 - no, I am not making this up. 666, of course, is the sign of the devil (Rev 13:18). Several conspiracy sites suggest the Vodafone logo looks like a 6 - and there are three such logos stuck to my 6630 phone.
If you are upgrading to this phone, you should pay no more than about £30.00 for the upgrade. I am on a £30.00 per month tariff, and they offered me a monthly allowance of 80MB of free internet traffic (not just portal traffic) in order to match a similar offer from Orange.
Vodafone is aggressively promoting their new 'live!' tariffs for 3G. However, you can get the 3G phones on regular tariffs as well. You will probably know better than the salesperson which tariff is better for you.
Orange offers the 6630 for £119 on a £30/month tariff, and they give you a £100 rebate if you trade in an old phone (such as a 1610 that you can find on eBay for £3). Orange gives 50MB/month of internet traffic for free (not just portal traffic).
This phone is too big. I don't want a camera in my phone, and I don't want to watch movie clips. I just want something that can fit comfortably in my pocket, like my trusty old 6510 (76 grams). Nokia, please make a small and light quad band/data phone for those of us who don't need tonnes of features.