Mobile broadband to dominate in 2011 | The Register

Mobile broadband to dominate in 2011 | The Register: "Mobile broadband is expected to become the dominant broadband platform worldwide in 2011, according to a new report.

The research, which was carried out by Informa Telecoms & Media, indicates there will be more than one billion broadband subscribers worldwide in 2011, with the majority using mobile rather than fixed systems.

Increased adoption will also lead to bigger revenues, with Informa estimating that more than $400bn in service revenues will be generated by mobile broadband in 2012. HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) is expected to be the leading mobile broadband technology by then in terms of number of subscribers, followed by EV-DO and mobile WiMAX.

EV-DO ('Evolution, Data Only' or 'Evolution, Data Optimised' as it's also known) an alternative third generation standard backed by mobile operators such as Sprint in the US, is expected to have the most subscribers globally by the end of 2007.

However, it is expected to be surpassed by HSDPA, the mobile broadband technology currently favoured by mobile operators in Ireland, in 2009."

According to the study, by June 2007 there were already more than 200 commercial mobile broadband networks worldwide with more than 50 million subscribers using hundreds of different mobile, portable and fixed devices to generate billions of dollars in service revenues.

"Mobile broadband is already a significant market but will explode in the next five years as networks, devices and services mature and spark mass-market adoption," said Roberts.