14 DAY TRIAL // According to a recently published report from Strategy Analytics, the installed base of mobile broadband modems that will be available around the world by 2014 is expected to reach 415 million devices, showing the great need for mobility users are looking for. Moreover, the research firm also announced that the sales of such devices should top 200 million units, a two times higher than the 100 million units that should be sold during the ongoing year.
The above figure includes new devices with integrated mobile broadband connectivity and external USB modems, Strategy Analytics notes. At the same time, the research firm says that the mobile broadband market is expected to expand considerably into the mass market, mainly fueled by devices such as the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad, coupled with aggressive pricings put in place by wireless carriers all around the world.
“Decreasing module costs and greater variety of pre and post-pay tariff plans are making mobile broadband more accessible, allowing more people to access their content wherever and whenever they desire. Going forward, emerging markets and M2M will represent major opportunities for growth,” Andrew Brown, director of Wireless Enterprise Strategies at Strategy Analytics and author of the report, commented on the findings.
The Strategy Analytics Wireless Enterprise Strategies (WES) service report, dubbed “Untethering the User: Mobile Broadband Market Outlook on USB Modems, PC Cards & Embedded Cellular Connectivity,” looks into the market of embedded laptops, netbooks and USB modems. The research firm has evaluated carriers’ aggressive promotion of devices with mobile broadband capabilities, and also took into consideration factors that could affect the mobile broadband market, including Wi-Fi, or smartphones and handset tethering.
Susan Welsh de Grimaldo, director, Mobile Broadband Opportunities (MBO), added, “Clearly we are at an inflection point in the mobile broadband market. New devices, such as the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad, as well as netbooks and notebooks, are helping to drive mobile broadband into the mass market.”