About one-fifth of PCs in Europe are connected to the internet via HSPA and LTE mobile broadband connections, up 33pc on the previous year.
According to Berg Insight, this is forecast to grow at a compound rate of 18.9pc year on year from 33.9m connections to reach 96m connections by 2016.
The North American market has so far evolved at a slower pace, with mobile broadband accounting for just 13.2pc of the total number of connections. Between 2010 and 2016, the North American market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 25.8pc to reach 58m subscribers at the end of the period.
The Swedish research house says the levels of adoption of mobile broadband vary significantly across Europe.
“Austria is the most advanced market, with a penetration rate of over 20pc, corresponding to 46pc of all broadband connections in the country.
“Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Ireland and Portugal also have penetration rates above 10pc. Belgium, Switzerland and Greece have, on the other hand, penetration rates of less than 3pc,” said Lars Kurkinen, telecom analyst, Berg Insight.
“Also the pricing varies across different markets, with subscriptions costing around four times more in the most expensive countries compared to the least expensive ones. The lowest prices can be found in the Baltic countries, Poland and Austria, with average monthly prices ranging €8–€11 for a 3GB bundle at a data rate of at least 3.6Mbps. The highest prices can be found in Switzerland and Spain (€40 per month).
HSPA/LTE equipment vendors
Huawei has established itself as the world’s largest supplier of mobile broadband terminals, holding a market share of 49pc, and has a particularly strong foothold in Europe. ZTE is the second-largest vendor with clear margins, capturing a market share of 31pc.
Berg Insight estimates the total global number of shipped external mobile broadband devices in 2010 to 92.7m, with Europe and North America accounting for 27.4m units and 8.5m units, respectively.
In addition, shipments of embedded modules reached an estimated 9.5m units. Two of the largest telecom vendors – Ericsson and Qualcomm – entered the market for embedded solutions in 2008 and have managed to sign contracts with many of the major notebook vendors. The two companies captured a market share of 83pc together on this market in 2010.
