The number of subscribers to mobile broadband services over all
of the supporting technologies will rocket by 1024% over the next
five years to over 2 billion according to forecasts by Ovum.
By 2014, the global advisory and consulting firm estimates that
there will be 258 million users worldwide
accessing mobile broadband services through laptops, which are
connected via USB modems, data cards or have embedded mobile
modules.
Ovum believes that even though Western Europe will be the
slowest growing region in the next five years, user growth in
laptop access over the next five years will reach 747%, and 918% in
handset access. For the latter this means that handset-based mobile
broadband use will grow from a base of 158 million in 2008 to
almost 1.8 billion in 2014.
The
key factors driving adoption in mature mobile and fixed broadband
markets, says Ovum, will be the introduction of prepaid tariffs
and increasing competition for mobile broadband access driving
prices lower. The most aggressive growth, though, will likely be
from emerging markets where current lack of fixed broadband
presents a clear opportunity for mobile players.
In terms of what the market opportunity is for such growth, Ovum
calculates that users accessing the Internet via mobile broadband
enabled laptops and handsets will generate revenues of $137 billion
globally in 2014, a growth of more than 450% compared with
2008.
“This is a staggering growth from 2008, which is when mobile
broadband supposedly ‘took-off’...The ubiquity of the Internet and
the desire to be connected on the move are key drivers for this, as
will the increasing adoption of prepaid tariffs, which support the
complementary nature of mobile broadband in such regions with
high fixed broadband penetration…” explained Steven Hartley, senior
analyst at Ovum and co-author of this research.