Mobile broadband use will hit 1Billion by 2012
By 2012 researchers estimate that over one billion people around the globe will be utilizing mobile broadband. At the same time that this figure was released, many of the operators around Europe are claiming that the high level of mobile broadband use is starting to cripple their networks.
In an attempt to accommodate users Vodafone is doubling its broadband capacity up to 14.4 megabits per second; however Vodafone says that UK users should expect to see average speeds of 10.8Mbos.
In March of 2009 Ofcom stated that three million homes across Britain had access to mobile broadband. Most of these homes use dongles to enable their internet access from anywhere that has a mobile signal.
According to SFR, a French operator, dongle use requires 450 times more use of bandwidth than typical mobile phones.
Senior analyst at Juniper Research, Howard Wilcox, said that the mobile broadband service is popular most with young adults who are on the move and want to be able to take mobile connectivity with them at all times.
Wilcox added that the growth and wide availability of smartphones has also fuelled the use of mobile broadband which is straining the networks of mobile operators.
For the most part, the majority of consumers who complain about mobile broadband experience usage problems and low speeds in office buildings and in busy areas where congestion is high.
Principal analyst, Phil Sayer, of Forrester Research said that the availability of new spectrum left over from the switch from analogue to digital television may be the solution to the problem.
