The mobile broadband devices market is changing rapidly, and if MNOs and handset vendors do not identify the direction of the market, they will miss out on a substantial revenue opportunity.
A major driving force behind the rapid adoption of mobile broadband was the availability of user-friendly USB modems as a replacement for clunky PCMCIA cards. Today, these USB modems dominate the devices market, but this is changing rapidly. Laptops with embedded mobile broadband are becoming increasingly popular, with substantial implications for operator and vendor business models. At the same time, the range of devices being used to access mobile broadband networks is expanding. Home hubs, which provide mobile broadband connectivity to a Wi-Fi router, are gaining increasing traction in the market, while the opportunities for using the mobile handset as a modem are under-exploited.
Mobile broadband represents one of the few growth opportunities for device vendors in the face of an economic downturn. As a result, the established players ZTE and Huawei face increased competition from vendors, such as Nokia, which are looking to offset declining revenue in their traditional handset lines. These unique circumstances make for an uncertain competitive landscape where there are no guarantees about which vendors will dominate.
Mobile broadband devices: from USB modems to where? provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the mobile devices market. It examines the evolution of the market from USB modems to a more fragmented landscape, incorporating devices with embedded mobile broadband, home hubs and the handset as a modem, giving operators and vendors invaluable insight into the dynamics of this rapidly evolving field. It analyses the implications of the evolution for the vendor landscape. The report contains a detailed forecast of the market opportunity for each of the major types of device, with installed base and annual sales figures for 30 countries across Europe, including the EU, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Mobile broadband devices: from USB modems to where? answers your key questions:
- What is the market opportunity for mobile broadband devices in Europe during the next five years?
- What will be the key factors determining which mobile broadband device (USB modems, laptops with embedded mobile broadband, home hubs, handsets as modems) will dominate?
- What are the implications of different devices for MNO business models?
