Hutchison 3G (UK) is offering free dongles, otherwise known as USB modems, to all 3,100 staff so they can have free access to mobile broadband at home or at work.

The offer, which was rolled out at the end of September, will give staff a broadband stick with a speed of 7.2Mbps and capacity for 7Gbytes of data a month, which would normally cost £25 a month on a 12-month retail contract.

Seth Russell, director of reward at Hutchison 3G (UK), said: "Mobile broadband is one of our key growth areas for the business and we want to give staff access to it so they can act as advocates for the new technology.

"Mobile broadband allows access to the internet across our telephone network, so staff will be getting free access, usually at comparable speeds to the broadband they have at home."

He added that the company had obtained approval from HM Revenue & Customs so that staff will not have to pay tax on the perk on the grounds it can be used for work purposes. The dongle was communicated to staff via team meetings, emails and the intranet.