Dear PPRune posters,
First thanks for your illuminating replies and offers of assistance, and apologies for not have responded sooner, but it's been tricky of late to get online!!
I have tried many places and they all advise me the same thing - I need an unlocked dongle. I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and pay for one, but it breaks my heart to pay over the odds because of some protectionist racket!