Posted: 27th Jan, 2009 By: MarkJ
The latest
IDC study has revealed that
Mobile Broadband demand among European consumers has grown rapidly over the past 18 months. Faster
HSPA based 3G services, smaller USB Modems, lower prices and greater penetration are believed to be the four key catalysts behind this:
"Mobile broadband presents a big land-grab opportunity, both now and for several years to come," said John Delaney, IDC's European director of consumer mobile research. "But although the service is simple in concept, its role in the consumer services market is complex. Mobility is only one among a variety of reasons why consumers like mobile broadband.
However, it also substitutes for fixed-line broadband in some circumstances, cannibalizing existing revenues," said Delaney. "As such, it is important for operators with both fixed and mobile networks to understand what factors are driving demand for mobile broadband, what is likely to happen to those factors over the next few years, and what strategies they should adopt to take maximum advantage of the opportunity."
The study also predicts that
Mobile Broadband will continue to grow thanks to increasingly flexible packages, if slowed slightly due to the current recession.