The N96, just like its predecessor, thrives in connectivity options. Bluetooth, Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), HSDPA, 3G, GPRS, EDGE, are all available on the phone. In regional terms, the N96 has a NAM version, and can be used on the 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz GSM bands, 900MHz, 2100MHz HSDPA bands, and for the NAM version, on the 850MHz, 1900MHz HSDPA bands.

Short-range connection speed was very important as the 16GB capacity of the phone meant that it should be able to transfer it quickly between devices. The known problem in the NSeries range was the lack of USB speed, which stood at around 650kBps. At this rate, it would take almost seven hours to transfer 16GB of content from a device to the N96 (read and write speeds are different). Fortunately, the N96 had increased its average speed, but it was not five or six times faster, unlike what Nokia representatives had mentioned. The N96 could receive data at an average speed of 1.42mBps, slightly more than twice the speed of its predecessor Nokia N95 8GB. At this rate, 16GB of data could be written on the N96 in less than three and a half hours. Although there is an increase in speed, they are still very disappointing rates.

It is not very common to read data from a phone to another device, unless if you're using it as a portable hard drive or flash drive. In that case, the N96 can transfer data to a device via USB at a maximum of 0.6mBps, which brings us to the old rate of more than seven hours for 16GB to be transferred, an unacceptable fact.

Bluetooth isn't a way out of these terrible speeds, it is not a bad rate though, the normal speed for Bluetooth v2.1 technology towards a device that does not have EDR (Enhanced Data Rate). The N96 averaged 115kBps on transfers, regardless of the direction.

WLAN seemed to be the way out of the speed dilemma. Although Wi-Fi b/g usually achieves speeds around 54mbps, it is likely for the N96 to be limited to 11mbps. Most N96 owners, including myself, faced problems using WLAN hotspots, most users couldn't connect to their home routers, especially if these were encrypted. I tried to connect to my own Nokia N95, using Joikuspot, but even without any type of encryption, the N96 would not connect to it. A serious problem concerning mostly to UK owners as early versions of the BBC iPlayer required a WLAN connection.

There were no web browser problems to note, besides the irritating mini-map, that could be disabled. There is however, a serious problems with Nokia and their prompts. It is not possible to turn off the constant prompts that all applications show if you want to connect to the internet, or the ones the web browser shows if it is entering or exiting a secure webpage. It is honestly an issue to the user, and it's something that unfortunately cannot be turned off.

In terms of network connection, the N96 didn't have the same signal strength of the N78 in many cases, especially to connect to a 3G network. I can recall having the N78 always on a 3G connection inside my house, while the N96 barely connected to it if inside my house.

DVB-h was meant to be a big hit on the N96, especially after being made a standard by the European Union. Most countries are far behind in this technology, so the N96 will not be hyped owing to this technological absence, a low blow for Nokia.

Nokia surely needs to increase the USB transfer speed of the N96 in order to have users make use of the large amounts of mass memory, and the WLAN problems also need to be addressed, although they are most probably occurring owing to software faults. The web browser issues have been present since the very first S60 phone, and complaints have also been directed to Nokia ever since. 3G signal strength might not be such an issue, but all the problems put together tarnish the N96's reputation.

It's not all bad news. Not all phones have the potential of the N96, which also brings PictBridge, Media player USB interface, and DLNA certification. The latter feature enables the sharing of content via a WLAN network, so that all devices connected to it can access it, such as computers, TVs, and other phones.

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