The world passed its four billionth mobile connection this week, passing another milestone along the road to the ubiquitous wireless connectivity of every human being.
The first commercial citywide cellular network was launched in Japan by NTT in 1979 and it took 23 years for one billion mobiles to be connected. The two billion mark was passed in 2005, with the three billion milestone passed in 2007 and the historic 'tipping point' where 50% of all human beings are carrying a mobile phone was reached in Q2, 2008.
Further growth in emerging markets such as China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan, plus the integration of previously unconnected devices are expected to push the number of global connections to six billion in 2013. There are only 6.7 billion human beings.
Mobile Broadband accounts for just 100 million of the four billion mobile connections, compared with 1.1 billion fixed broadband lines. Given the rapid penetration of mobile into the global community, mobile broadband can be expected to accelerate from this point too. Notably, with fixed line broadband included, broadband connectivity now reaches one sixth of the world's population.
Meanwhile, in the uk, new figures from Ofcom this week have revealed that the number of UK broadband connections is nearing the 17 million mark.
The regulator's latest Telecommunications Market data tables show that up to the end of Q3 last year, there were just over 16.9 million active residential and small business broadband lines in the UK.
The tables, which detail the broadband connections between 2006 and Q3 2008, show that during this period there were slight market share falls for industry leaders BT Retail and Virgin Media.
In the case of BT, this is largely due to the increase in broadband connections using local loop unbundling (LLU). These line connections are provided by the likes of TalkTalk and Sky who have installed their own equipment in the telephone exchange - meaning they can offer users discounted prices and so called 'free' broadband services.
O2 today unveiled its plans to enter the laptop market with a promise to couple market-leading home and mobile broadband with impressive devices and excellent customer service. With laptop sales expected to reach 9-10 million devices in 2009, O2 is ranging Samsung laptops to create exclusive packages that will give customers everything they need to be more connected, with minimum fuss and hassle.
O2 will introduce three new Pay Monthly deals, available online and at its 490 stores nationwide, on 27 February 2009. With broadband bundles set to take a large proportion of the overall laptop market within three years, O2 is entering this market in a strong position with an all-round package that will meet the consumer needs of style, substance, staying power, service and security head-on.
O2 CEO, Ronan Dunne, highlighted the great opportunity presented by the market today: "We all want to be better connected at all times and the substantial and continued growth in the laptop market is symptomatic of this desire. Laptops are rapidly eroding the desktop PC market and at the same time, the emergence of the mini-laptop has opened up a whole new market for ultra-portable devices – one that is expected to more than double in size in 2009 alone. To date, the subsidised laptop market has received some bad press due to poor equipment and frustrating customer service experiences. O2 is stepping into the market with a promise to turn this around by taking a holistic approach to the product offer. Our package ticks every box when it comes to the main purchase drivers in the market, which in turn means we are taking away the 'worry-factor' involved in buying a laptop."
O2's laptop package is designed to give customers everything they want at a price that they will love:
Style – Samsung's NC10 mini-laptop and R510 laptop models combine great design with looks for the ultimate in laptop style.
Substance – with strong specifications and great performance, Samsung's NC10 mini-laptop and R510 model deliver on functionality too.
Staying Power – Samsung's solid specifications deliver staying power and assure customers that their choice of device will meet their computing needs for years to come, rather than just months.
Service – Recognising the 'worry factor' that many consumers have when looking to buy a laptop, O2 will offer customers expert sales advice to meet their needs. This includes O2 Laptop Support at no additional cost for a limited period to help get them up and running, with a chargeable option to extend this cover, O2 Assistant software to allow computers to be fixed remotely and award-winning UK based customer service. In addition O2 is offering a 30-day Happiness Guarantee on all laptops and an extended two-year warranty on all devices at no extra cost.
Security – McAfee software to ensure customers feel secure online.
"The growth in the laptop market is clear to see and we want to be a part of it. But we want to ensure that our customers get a better experience, not just when they buy the package but throughout the duration of their contract with us. Our two year warranty and 30-day Happiness Guarantee are market leading and show our continued commitment to providing great service," adds Dunne.
"Our bundle packages, unique amongst those currently on the market, provide customers with everything they need and we are confident they will move people away from traditional laptop providers and into our stores."
Customers can purchase O2's new laptop packages at any of the 490 stores across the UK or by visiting our online shop at www.o2.co.uk from 27 February 2009.
Vodafone Australia and Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) are to merge business creating a new business, VHA (Vodafone Hutchison Australia). Airtime services will be sold under the Vodafone brand,
Both companies will hold 50 per cent ownership of the new venture.
Huawei to deliver 'smarter' mobile broadband dongles
Huawei are to Embed Network Diagnostic Tools into their 3G Modems.
Carrier IQ has announced that its diagnostic software is to be embedded within a new range of 3G modems from Huawei. The cards will incorporate a diagnostic engine to enable carriers to optimize and improve data performance using Carrier IQ's suite of analysis tools.
Announcing the partnership, Carrier IQ CEO, Mark Quinlivan, said: "These new cards will make for smoother delivery of mobile data services, improvements in customer care services, identification of network coverage gaps and increased awareness of actual user behavior."
"Everybody wins," he added, "the manufacturer of the card, the network operator, but most importantly of all, the actual subscriber to mobile data services."
Spruce up your laptop with this season's must-have accessory, a limited edition polka dot mobile broadband modem designed exclusively for O2 by fashion designer Henry Holland under his House of Holland label.
The House of Holland-designed skin will be included for free with O2 Mobile Broadband Pay & Go from 27 February for a limited time only.
Checking your email or surfing the web on the go has never been more fashionable than with the House of Holland mobile broadband, featuring one of the hottest trends for 2009 – polka dots. "Henry Holland is one of the most exciting designers in London and the perfect partner to help us add some style to our mobile broadband offering. Our customers have been telling us that they continually crave individuality and this delivers stand-out, personalisation and a bit of fun" said Peter Rampling, O2's Marketing Director.
Henry Holland continues: "I'm really pleased to have been asked to design this for O2. It's a fun project and something great to give to all my friends and something I know they all need!"
The exclusive House of Holland O2 Mobile Broadband Pay & Go will be available from 27 February 2009 at O2 stores and from the O2 online shop at www.O2.co.uk.
Orange UK's latest Digital Media Index report indicated an increase in the network's total number of mobile customers to 15.8 million at September 30. It also reported 1.02 million home broadband customers.
The network reported an average of 1.485 billion text messages per month, 3.971 billion call minutes per month and 185,823 GB of mobile data per month.
The number of mobile broadband dongle subscriptions increased by over 2,000 per cent since January last year, while the number of mobile internet customers on 3G handsets and dongles was 2.9 million. It said the mobile internet customer base had increased by 86 per cent, with 1.3 million customers added.
Orange also reported on average more than 276,555 full music tracks are downloaded every month from the Orange Music Store, an increase of 10.5 per cent since last year's Orange Digital Media Index.
bbc.co.uk reports that UK regulator Ofcom looks set to change the way it sells off the airwaves freed up by the shift to digital TV.
It is planning to make a wider band of spectrum available for mobile broadband services than originally proposed. A move that has been welcomed by mobile operators who say it will make for cheaper and more flexible services.
Originally Ofcom promised to safeguard spectrum in the 800Mhz band for wireless microphones and digital terrestrial TV services, but now it proposes to make the whole 800MHz band available for mobile broadband and related services and find "alternative spectrum" for wireless microphones and digital terrestrial TV.
For digital terrestrial TV viewers, it will mean that set-top boxes will have to be retuned, something Ofcom described as "a simple procedure that usually takes a few minutes to complete".
"Ofcom has realised that there is momentum in Europe for mobile broadband so has had to co-operate," said Matthew Howett, an analyst with research firm Ovum.
Finland, France, Sweden, and Switzerland have already decided to release the wider block of spectrum for mobile broadband services and if the UK follows suit it will mean lower equipment prices for consumers.
T-Mobile's head of regulatory affairs, Robyn Durie, welcomed the move. "It is good news for us. Mobile broadband needs a big chunk of spectrum and previously we didn't have that," she said. "It means that consumers will be able to use the same services abroad that they can use at home."
Mobile broadband 'to become increasingly widespread'
Mobile broadband has proved to be popular among UK consumers and is likely to become increasingly widespread, according to one expert. Tim Lord, regulatory director at Hutchison 3G (UK), said Britain had already become a converged communications landscape.
Speaking at the Joint Westminster eForum & Westminster Media Forum keynote seminar, titled Digital Britain, he said: "Mobile broadband has been an enormous success in the UK."
He cited figures from communications regulator Ofcom which show that around 12% of consumers have swapped fixed-line broadband for mobile broadband. He added that around 15% are currently thinking about making such a switch.
However, he said that for internet access via mobile devices to really take off, coverage will have to be improved and backhaul capacity will have to be increased.
O2 Tops J.D. Power and Associates UK Broadband Study
O2 ranks highest in customer satisfaction for both UK mobile broadband and fixed broadband customers according to the J.D. Power and Associates UK Mobile and Fixed Broadband Studies, released today.
The J.D. Power and Associates study measures performance and reliability; billing; cost of the service; customer service/technical support; and offerings and promotions. O2 ranked highest in the study scoring 712 points out of a possible 1000 for mobile broadband and 767 points for fixed broadband.
"This is a fantastic recognition of the focus we’ve had on the customer experience," said Peter Rampling, O2's Marketing Director. "For both our mobile and home broadband services, we took our time coming to market to place the necessary emphasis on getting the customer experience right. This report demonstrates that we were right to take this approach."
O2 research in October 2008 found that one in ten people using mobile broadband in the UK felt they had been mis-sold the service by their provider. On the back of this, O2 re-launched its mobile broadband offering, reducing prices, creating a new coverage checker and introducing a new 50-day Happiness Guarantee. In December, O2 launched one of the UK's best value Pay & Go Mobile Broadband offerings and has quickly made strong in-roads into this sector of the market.
Orange has announced new products in its mobile broadband portfolio, with two new laptops in its consumer "connected" range and a new dongle with data storage capacity.
The new devices are the HP Compaq Mini 700 and the Toshiba L300 that will both be available on 24 month contracts. The HP Compaq Mini 700 is a 10.1-inch netbook and will cost £30 per month whilst the Toshiba L300, a 15.4-inch full size laptop, will be available at £35 per month.
Both the HP Compaq Mini 700 and the Toshiba L300 come with Orange's "Internet Everywhere" mobile broadband service and dongle, as well as a 3GB monthly data allowance and 24 month manufacturer warranty.
In addition, Orange has announced the availability of the Huawei E160e dongle in black, white and pink that offers support for an 8GB microSD card.
UK's first LTE 4G mobile broadband trial network tested
Motorola has launched the first LTE (Long-Term Evolution, 4G) next generation Mobile Broadband trial network and testing lab in Swindon. The new lab began its life today with a live, standards compliant LTE call during which high-speed data services were streamed using Motorola's LTE infrastructure operating in the 2.6GHz spectrum and a prototype LTE device.
"Motorola is at the forefront of 4G development which will address the mobility demands of today's consumers who are looking for personalized media experiences and operators looking to lower their cost per bit and gain a competitive advantage," said Joe Cozzolino, senior vice president and general manager, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility, EMEA & Asia Pacific.
LTE is currently believed to be the most likely candidate to replace existing HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) based 3G Mobile Broadband services, which can only operate at up to a theoretical 14.4Mbps (HSPA+ can take this to 42Mbps) downstream.
By comparison LTE has the potential to reach 160Mbps downstream. Meanwhile, the big question remains over how mobile operators will afford to deploy a backbone network that will support the extra capacity.
Digital Britain - the mobile broadband perspective
The UK's Department of Culture, Media and Sport today published the interim Digital Britain report. Here are a couple of extracts relating specifically to the future of mobile broadband. Action 6 - We are specifying a Wireless Radio Spectrum Modernisation Programme consisting of five elements:
Resolving the future of existing 2G radio spectrum through a structured framework, allowing existing operators to re-align their existing holdings, re-use the spectrum and start the move to next generation mobile services.
Making available more radio spectrum suitable for next generation mobile services.
Greater investment certainty for existing 3G operators: The Government wishes to encourage the maximum commercially-sensible investment in network capacity and coverage…(E)xisting time-limited licences could be made indefinite and subject instead to AIP beyond the end of the current term.
Greater network sharing: the Government and Ofcom will consider further network sharing, spectrum or carrier-sharing proposals from the operators, particularly where these can lead to greater coverage and are part of the mobile operator's contribution to a broadband universal service commitment.
Commitments by the mobile operators to push out the coverage of mobile broadband eventually to replicate 2G coverage and mark their significant contribution to the broadband universal service commitment.
Action 17 - We will develop plans for a digital Universal Service Commitment to be effective by 2012, delivered by a mixture of fixed and mobile, wired and wireless means. Subject to further study of the costs and benefits, we will set out our plans for the level of service which we believe should be universal.
3G.co.uk reports today that T-Mobile's mobile broadband network has been judged the best in the UK for the second successive quarter in independent tests carried out by leading test house P3 Solutions.
The tests, released today, benchmark T-Mobile against its competitors by measuring customer experiences that matter most to users during peak usage hours across 16 cities throughout the UK. When measured against its mobile broadband competitors, T-Mobile was found to be fastest by a considerable margin for web browsing, internet upload speeds as well as for sending and receiving emails.
The tests show that in Q4, T-Mobile had the fastest web-browsing experience that on average was 35% faster than the nearest competitor. T-Mobile's top ranking in the P3 Solutions quarterly analysis is supported by a superior upload performance that is 59% quicker than the next best operator. With the popularity of social networking sites continuing to grow, T-Mobile customers who upload photos to Facebook or videos to YouTube will benefit from the fastest overall upload speeds across cities tested in the UK. T-Mobile's Mobile Broadband service is also the best for sending and receiving e-mails with attachments, being fives times faster than all other operators for sending e-mails and twice as fast for e-mail reception.
Gartner says that it has identified eight mobile technologies that will evolve significantly through 2010, impacting short-term mobile strategies and policies.
"All mobile strategies embed assumptions about technology evolution so it's important to identify the technologies that will evolve quickly in the life span of each strategy," said Nick Jones, vice president at Gartner. "The eight mobile technologies that we have pinpointed as ones to watch in 2009 and 2010 will have broad effects and, as such, are likely to pose issues to be addressed by short-term strategies and policies."
Gartner's eight mobile technologies to watch in 2009 and 2010:
Bluetooth 3.0 -The Bluetooth 3.0 specification will be released in 2009 (at which point its feature set will be frozen), with devices starting to arrive around 2010. Bluetooth 3.0 will likely include features such as ultra-low-power mode that will enable new devices, such as peripherals and sensors, and new applications, such as health monitoring.
Mobile User Interfaces (UIs) - UIs have a major effect on device usability and supportability. They will also be an area of intense competition in 2009 and 2010, with manufacturers using UIs to differentiate their handsets and platforms. New and more-diverse UIs will complicate the development and support of business-to-employee (B2E) and business-to-consumer (B2C) applications.
Location Sensing - Location awareness makes mobile applications more powerful and useful; in the future, location will be a key component of contextual applications. Location sensing will also enhance systems, such as mobile presence and mobile social networking.
802.11n - 802.11n boosts Wi-Fi data rates to between 100 Mbps and 300 Mbps, and the multiple-input, multiple-output technology used by 802.11n offers the potential for better coverage in some situations. 802.11n is likely to be a long-lived standard that will define Wi-Fi performance for several years. High-speed Wi-Fi is desirable to stream media around the home and office.
Display Technologies - Displays constrain many characteristics of both mobile devices and applications. During 2009 and 2010, several new display technologies will impact the marketplace, including active pixel displays, passive displays and pico projectors. Pico projectors enable new mobile use cases (for example, instant presentations projected on a desktop to display information in a brief, face-to-face sales meeting).
Mobile Web and Widgets - The mobile Web is emerging as a low-cost way to deliver simple mobile applications to a range of devices. It has some limitations that will not be addressed by 2010 (for example, there will be no universal standards for browser access to handset services, such as the camera or GPS). However, the mobile Web offers a compelling total cost of ownership (TCO) advantage over thick-client applications. Widgets (small mobile Web applets) are supported by many mobile browsers, and provide a way to stream simple feeds to handsets and small screens.
Cellular Broadband - Wireless broadband exploded in 2008, driven by the availability of technologies such as high-speed downlink packet access and high-speed uplink packet access, combined with attractive pricing from cellular operators. The performance of high-speed packet access (HSPA) provides a megabit or two of bandwidth in uplink and downlink directions, and often more. In many regions, HSPA provides adequate connectivity to replace Wi-Fi "hot spots," and the availability of mature chipsets enables organizations to purchase laptops with built-in cellular modules that provide superior performance to add-on cards or dongles.
Near Field Communication (NFC) - NFC provides a simple and secure way for handsets to communicate over distances of a centimeter or two. NFC is emerging as a leading standard for applications such as mobile payment, with successful trials conducted in several countries. It also has wider applications, such as "touch to exchange information" (for example, to transfer an image from a handset to a digital photo frame, or for a handset to pick up a virtual discount voucher).
A significant number of mobile operators will be upgrading from HSPDA to HSPA+ technology as an interim stop gap before eventually migrating to LTE, according to the latest report from EJL Wireless Research entitled "3GPP Release 7 HSPA+ (Evolved HSPA) Network Migration Analysis."
"LTE technology remains on the longer term horizon but HSPA+ is here and now. The increase of UMTS downlink speeds of up to 21Mbps peak will significantly improve the consumer's mobile broadband experience." said founder and President Earl Lum.
"Given the economic uncertainty through 2009 and 2010, it is clear that mobile operators will upgrade to HSPA+ technology during 2009-2011." said Lum.
The full report is currently available for purchase and information can be downloaded at ejlwireless.com.
Shipments of mini-laptops are expected to quadruple over the next four years, luring users with the right combination of size, price, and functionality, a research firm said Monday.
Mini-laptops, also called netbooks, are expected to grow in popularity mostly because of the failure of smaller mobile Internet devices (MIDs) and smartphones to deliver sufficient functionality to satisfy computer users on the road.
"In recent years, the industry still expected the smartphones to be more than they turned out to be, and most recently, MIDs were thought to be the next big mobile devices segment, but an unclear usage model continues to confuse the market," ABI analyst Kevin Burden said in a statement. "So today, netbooks' time has come, and ABI Research expects them to enjoy very strong market growth."
Smartphones, however, did a lot to pave the way for netbooks. The devices, which began as a convergence of personal digital assistants and cellular phones, introduced consumers to what was possible in mobile communications and Web access, ABI said.
ABI isn't alone in projecting strong growth in the netbook market, joining Gartner and IDC. However, the mini-laptops, which sell for as little as £180, have also had their problems with consumers. The rate of return for the devices has been higher than standard notebooks, primarily because of a failure to meet performance expectations.
Biz360, a market intelligence firm, found that netbooks get a 40% lower rating from consumers than other laptops. The findings were based on an analysis of 20,000 online opinions culled from consumer reviews on retail sites between May 15 and Nov. 15.
While vendors often portray netbooks as offering strong performance, the systems' low-power processors are best suited for basic computing needs, such as e-mail and Web browsing.
This report contradicts the views of AMD that we reported last week. Honestly, we believe AMD are more accurate in their predictions.
In the 'States, Franklin Wireless and Beceem Communications have partnered to revolutionize the mobile broadband user experience with the introduction of the world's first dual-mode 3G CDMA/4G WiMAX USB Modem, the Franklin U300.
The U300 was commercially released by Sprint on December 17th 2008 and is the first USB modem that can be used on Sprint's existing 3G CDMA network and on Clearwire's 4G WiMAX network. The U300 incorporates Beceem's high-performance Mobile WiMAX chipset alongside an EVDO-Rev A chip.
According to a recent study from IDC, mobile broadband has grown rapidly in popularity among European consumers during the past 18 months. This rapid consumer uptake has been catalyzed by four main factors:
The upgrading of 3G networks with HSPA
The availability of small USB connection devices
A fall in the price of subscriptions
A rise in consumer penetration of portable PCs
"Mobile broadband presents a big land-grab opportunity, both now and for several years to come," said John Delaney, IDC's European director of consumer mobile research. "But although the service is simple in concept, its role in the consumer services market is complex. Mobility is only one among a variety of reasons why consumers like mobile broadband. Success in the market will depend critically on a clear understanding of how mobile broadband should be positioned in the spectrum of mobile and Internet services."
Mobile broadband is a new source of revenue for mobile operators and improves the use of 3G networks; unlike other new mobile services such as TV and gaming, it relates directly to a telcos' core business. "However, it also substitutes for fixed-line broadband in some circumstances, cannibalizing existing revenues," said Delaney. "As such, it is important for operators with both fixed and mobile networks to understand what factors are driving demand for mobile broadband, what is likely to happen to those factors over the next few years, and what strategies they should adopt to take maximum advantage of the opportunity."
Further Findings:
European operators sorely need new service revenues, and mobile broadband promises to satisfy that need by generating revenue that is new and entirely incremental to existing revenue streams
The combination of a strongly growing addressable market with prices at fixed-broadband levels, and in increasingly flexible packages, will ensure that consumer demand for mobile broadband remains strong for some time to come
The global recession, however, could slow down the penetration of portable PCs and therefore the addressable market for mobile broadband. It may also make consumers more reluctant to commit to a new service contract
Advanced Micro Devices' (AMD) chief executive predicts that Netbooks will eventually disappear.
"The distinction between what is a Netbook and what is a notebook is going to go away," AMD CEO Dirk Meyer said on Thursday in the company's earnings conference call.
"Given the way Netbooks are configured today, consumers who want a notebook at those kind of (low) price points have to compromise and as a result don't enjoy a full PC experience, particularly around the graphics and media capability of the machine," Meyer said. "And likewise people who wanted a thin and light machine had to pay a lot of money, typically well over a thousand dollars."
Upcoming inexpensive ultra-thin notebooks will meet the need for a small, thin, lightweight laptop that is more powerful than a Netbook, Meyer said.
More clarity over mobile broadband download speeds
The Guardian reports that consumers are to be given much more information about the connection speeds they can expect to receive when they sign up to mobile broadband services under a new code of conduct being drawn up by the UK's networks.
Sales of mobile "dongles" – devices that enable PCs and laptops to access the internet using a mobile phone network rather than a landline – have rocketed, with over a million sold last year as prices came down to as little as £10 a month.
The new code will focus on hints and tips for consumers that will help improve the performance of their mobile broadband service. But the operators are unlikely to be able to provide customers with a clear estimate of the speed they can expect to receive. That is because the performance of the mobile phone networks depends not only on exactly where the user is located but on how many other people are using the network at the same time.
Vodafone have just released a range of 12 fantastic mobile broadband offers - some including a Dell Netbook into the bargain! There's some really good discounts available so don't miss out:
Deal 1: USB Modem Stick Pro £10 for the first 3 months, £15 thereafter 3 GB of data 24 month agreement Buy or find out more...
Deal 2: USB Modem Stick Pro £15 for the first 3 months, £25 thereafter 5 GB of data 24 month agreement Buy or find out more...
Deal 3: USB Modem Stick £15 a month 3 GB of data 12 month agreement Buy or find out more...
Deal 4: Dell Netbook £15 a month for the first 3 months, £30 thereafter 3 GB of data 24 month agreement Buy or find out more...
Deal 5: USB Modem Stick £25 a month 5 GB of data 18 month agreement Buy or find out more...
Deal 6: USB Modem Stick £15 3 GB of data 18 month agreement Buy or find out more...
Deal 7: USB Modem Stick £25 a month 5 GB of data 24 month agreement Buy or find out more...
Deal 8: USB Modem Stick £15 amonth 3 GB of data 24 month agreement Buy or find out more...
Deal 9: USB Modem Stick £25 a month 5 GB of data 24 month agreement Buy or find out more...
Deal 10: USB Modem Stick Pro £15 3 GB of data 12 month agreement Buy or find out more...
Deal 11: USB Modem Stick Pro £15 3 GB of data 18 month agreement Buy or find out more...
Deal 12: Dell Netbook £12.50 a month for the first 3 months, £25 thereafter 1 GB of data 24 month agreement Buy or find out more...
The Times reports today, that instead of selling slices of spectrum to the highest bidder, the communications minister Lord Carter is examining proposals to give away spectrum to companies in exchange for a pledge to invest nationally in super-fast broadband access.
The idea is expected to form part of his interim Digital Britain report, due for release on January 26, which will propose a range of measures to prepare the country for the future boom in internet commerce.
The new scheme is being promoted by Nesta, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. Under its "Spectrum for Speed" strategy, Jonathan Kestenbaum, Nesta's chief executive, argues that giving away licences to the value of £5 billion with strings attached would accelerate the roll-out of broadband to remote and disadvantaged parts of Britain at speeds of up to 100 megabits a second.
"The case for this type of deal is compelling," Kestenbaum said. "In unprecedented economic times, we have to think imaginatively about how we can invest in big infrastructure projects while not cutting off large swathes of communities from economic and social development." Nesta said the plan could create 600,000 new jobs over the next five years.
Carter will impose a service obligation on broadband operators and mobile firms to provide basic broadband for all, but he has hinted the government would have to play a financial role in launching high-speed networks.
Mobile operators must upgrade networks and business models
A new whitepaper published by communications market research firm Infonetics Research examines four mobile broadband trends that are building up to a "perfect storm" in the mobile world; trends that present as many challenges as they do opportunities for mobile operators.
The free white paper, The Mobile Internet Transformation, says the dramatic acceleration in mobile data services, resulting in 400% to 800% year-on-year traffic increases in some geographies, is being driven by these four major trends:
Rapid growth in high speed mobile broadband services based on HSPA, EV-DO, and WiMAX
The proliferation of devices that consume enormous amounts of bandwidth, including mobile broadband dongles on laptops and a new generation of smartphones (most notably the iPhone)
Web 2.0 applications, many of which have made the transition from the wired world to the mobile world (e.g., Google Maps, YouTube)
Flat rate all-you-can-eat data plans offered by mobile operators that have accelerated consumption of and revenue for mobile data services,but that have spurred the need for solutions that help operators deploy and monetize differentiated, premium services
"With the growth of the mobile Internet, users expect an 'Internet everywhere' experience, whether using their laptops, handsets, or other mobile devices. This puts tremendous pressure on mobile operators to move orders of magnitude more traffic for an order of magnitude lower cost per bit. Our The Mobile Internet Transformation whitepaper offers some strategies to help mobile operators rise to the challenge," says Stéphane Téral, principal analyst for mobile and FMC infrastructure at Infonetics Research and lead author of the whitepaper.
There are more than one billion Internet users around the globe, but a new study from ReportLinker said that number could be dwarfed by the amount of mobile Web surfers in a few years.
The report, titled "Mobile Internet 2010," said there are more than 4 billion wireless subscribers globally and many of these will be using their handset as the main Internet terminal. But in order for that potential to be achieved, the report said carriers need to boost their networks, and handsets makers need to do a better job of incorporating Web services into a phone's user interface.
Carriers have poured billions into deploying their 3G networks globally, and the adoption rate is picking up. By June 2008, there are more than 235 million WCDMA 3G subscribers, representing a 6.4% mobile penetration rate. Additionally, about 100 million subscribers used the EVDO 3G network. Increasing the coverage and availability of 3G data will lead to more mobile Web users, the report said.
Even with a large 3G footprint, users won't rapidly use the mobile Web unless there is a clear design that adds value to the customer, the report said. Handsets like the T-Mobile G1 and the HTC Touch Pro are examples of UIs that utilize an Internet connection for things like widgets, and one-touch Internet icons.
The mobile Web also has the potential to be a lucrative field if it can integrate location. By utilizing GPS, cell tower triangulation, or other means to utilize the user's presence could potentially lead to innovative services, as well as targeted advertising. Web advertising giant Google created the mobile operating system Android to capitalize on this potential, and the company sees a lucrative future with the mobile Web.
"The iPhone was the first mobile device with a good Web browser, and more such devices will follow," said Google (NSDQ: GOOG)'s CEO Eric Schmidt in an interview. "Advertising will then become very personal. In a few years, mobile advertising will generate more revenue than advertising on the normal Web."
Vodafone Group said Thursday that it has successfully trialled an evolution of mobile broadband technology achieving actual peak data download rates of up to 16 Mbps.
The high speed data connection was achieved during field trials of HSPA+ 64QAM technology on Vodafone Spain's network. Vodafone said it now plans to trial mobile broadband data connections with peak rates of up to 21Mbps early in 2009 using HSPA+ MIMO functionality.
Vodafone experts estimate that the technology would be capable of delivering a typical video download experience of more than 13Mbps in good conditions and an average of more than 4 Mbps across a full range of typical cell locations including urban environments. If the trials prove a success, Vodafone plans to make this technology available in selected commercial networks.
Vodafone worked in association with Ericsson and Qualcomm Inc. to prove the potential of the technology in the field, following impressive data throughput rates achieved in laboratory tests.
Ericsson and Intel to bring theft protection to Mobile Broadband laptops
Ericsson announced that it is collaborating with Intel to ensure that Ericsson's Mobile Broadband Modules are interoperable with Intel® Anti-Theft PC Protection Technology for notebooks to offer a secure and reliable anti-theft solution for mobile broadband users.
A theft management service residing in the network can send a message via SMS to the mobile broadband module inside the notebook, which securely transfers the message to Intel's Anti-Theft function inside the processor platform, which takes appropriate actions, such as completely locking the computer, making it unusable. When the notebook is located and recovered, an unlock message can be sent to the notebook that makes the data accessible again.
Intel Anti-Theft Technology provides an intelligent mechanism built into the processor platform that detects potential theft situations and responds according to IT policies. Anti-Theft PC Protection technology can be programmed to respond to repeated login failures and expiration of a timer that requires regularly scheduled connection to a central server. The theft management service can also take advantage of built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) technology in the Ericsson mobile broadband module, which can send location data to a central server. The location function can be utilized to determine a theft situation when the notebook is moved outside a pre-defined area - a so called geo-fence - to locate a lost notebook.
The solution will be available in commercial data protection products starting second half of 2009.
USA: Parks Associates forecasts mass-market mobile broadband
A new report from international research firm Parks Associates finds mobile broadband is transitioning into a mainstream service that could withstand the current economic downturn. Nearly 60 million smartphone units will be sold in 2013, which will increase consumer reliance on mobile broadband connectivity, according to Mobile Broadband: Beyond the Cell Phone. This adoption level will enable carriers and manufacturers to establish new revenue streams and create a stickier customer base.
"Smartphones will be the most popular mobile broadband access devices," said Anton Denissov, research analyst, Parks Associates. "Consumers will grow more comfortable with mobile broadband, and the service will become part of their daily lives, as they will be able to surf the Web, play games, share pictures, and connect via social networks from anywhere. This tight integration makes the service a utility that remains popular even during economic downturns."
Consumer comfort with mobile connectivity will create demand for the same functionality in non-phone devices. Parks Associates estimates that in 2013, U.S. consumers will purchase over five million connected cameras, over one million 3G-enabled MIDs (portable media players), and over two million 3G-enabled netbooks (mini-PCs).
"Embedding mobile broadband connectivity into non-phone devices creates new revenue opportunities for carriers, CE manufacturers, media companies, and advertisers," Denissov said. "To penetrate the mainstream consumer market, however, these companies must work in tandem to create services and devices that are affordable, entertaining, and simple to use."
Orange has unveiled its fourth Digital Media Index, a detailed report offering an insight into customer consumption of digital media.
The latest findings reveal a marked increase in mobile data usage, which has almost doubled in the last quarter. This increase follows improvements to devices designed to access mobile data – from USB dongles to more advanced mobile handsets, all matched with new price plans specifically created to increase mobile internet relevancy to consumers. At the same time, the evolution of social networking to the mobile platform, combined with more effective promotion of on portal content and services, means consumers are now accessing the content they want, quicker and easier than ever before.
Key findings from the summer/autumn report include:
Dongle subscriptions surge - an increase of 2,139% since January
3G customers soar by 86% - with 1.3 million customers added
Mobile search increases by 30% - while local search increases by 100%
Social networking takes off - with over 166 million page impressions on average per month
Music downloads increase by 10% - with September specifically seeing a record 300,000 full tracks downloaded
Figures are in comparison to the third Orange Digital Media Index which covered the three month period from November 07 – January 08
Paul Jevons, Director of Products, Portals and Services for Orange, said: "This latest report reflects a transition in mobile similar to what is taking place on the web – mobile is no longer simply a channel for brands to deliver packaged content in a manner of their choosing. Instead the mobile phone has become a truly interactive channel that fosters the formation of communities through social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo. It also delivers content that is personally tailored to the individual so customers can access the services they want how and when they want them."
If you're new to mobile broadband and are wondering what it is and what all the fuss is about, then you should read our comprehensive guide to mobile broadband.
Mobile broadband is a generic term used to describe fast internet access on mobile phones or laptops whilst on the move - free from the ties of a fixed phone line. All the major networks: Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile, 3 Mobile and O2 offer mobile broadband solutions.
The only equipment you need is a mobile broadband "dongle" which looks similar to a USB flash drive and holds a 3G mobile SIM card - the same as those in 3G mobile phones.
The Deutche-Telekom owned company is giving out a 'free' Asus EEE PC904HD laptop with a free USB modem stick, 3GB monthly fair use amount, 200 free texts and WiFi Spot access for only £25 per month on a 24-month contract.
The laptop comes with a 8.9-widescreen display, an Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM, a 80GB HDD, WiFi, a card reader, Windows XP Home and a webcam. Should you want other laptops, T-Mobile is expected to launch two other models fairly soon. Mobile today reported that Acer, the original laptop supplier to T-Mobile, had to be replaced by Asus as it failed to provide with the required number of laptops
This leaves O2 as the only major mobile phone network without any netbook-inclusive mobile broadband package although this is unlikely to last for long.
Orange strengthens mobile broadband coverage in UK
Orange has announced the completion of a network upgrade to expand its HSPA coverage in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Some 760 sites across the two regions have been upgraded resulting in a 20 per cent improvement in network performance for both voice and data.
"We are delighted to announce the new network has gone live in Northern Ireland", said Pete Marsden, vice president IT & Networks. "At Orange we are proud of our commitment to give all our customers access to robust and reliable networks. We are investing heavily in updating and improving our infrastructure to meet our goal of being the best UK network for coverage and reliability."
According to figures from the Mobile World database, Orange ended September with around 15.8 million subscribers, which represents a UK market share of just over 21%. Orange now offers over 94% population 3G coverage and over 70% 3G+ across the UK.
NTT DOCOMO announced that it has successfully developed a trial large-scale-integration (LSI) chip that consumes less than 0.04 W of power yet supports multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) signal detection and decoding for downlink transmissions at 100 Mbps.
This is the speed required for the forthcoming mobile system known as Long Term Evolution (LTE), approved by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Compared with chips currently used in handsets compatible with DOCOMO's High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) service, which have a maximum downlink rate of 7.2 Mbps, the new chip will enable downlinks that are more than 10 times as fast.
The contracts typically require the customer to take out a two-year mobile broadband contract for around £25-35 per month, with a laptop thrown in to sweeten the deal.
Vodafone and Orange have taken this one step further, offering customers Dell and Asus netbooks with embedded 3G. The tactic was questioned by analysis firm Disruptive Technologies, which produced a report claiming that by 2011 only 30% of mobile broadband subscribers would have been lured in by this method.
However, a recent study by price comparison site Top 10 Broadband refutes this claim. The site monitored sales of a 1,000 mobile broadband 'free laptop' deals in November, and found the Dell Mini 9 and Asus Eee PC 901, both of which offer embedded 3G, were outselling dongle deals by a ratio of three to two.
Consumers may be facing data charges of up to £10 to download a single song, according to new research from mBlox on European data pricing. The research conducted in five countries illustrates that data pricing varies so considerably between operators that it is virtually impossible for consumers to understand the charges that apply.
Although some operators may charge as little as 75p to download a track, the small print outlining 'fair usage' within the Terms and Conditions effectively means that operators could charge much higher costs.
£10 - The most expensive cost to download an average music track of 2 MB on a Pay As You Go (PAYG) tariff in the UK
On a Pay As You Go tariff, it can cost as much as £5 per MB of data in the UK, or €5 in France
Germany is an exception, with several major service providers offering data trafficking at a reasonable €0.24 per MB
In France, access to a single megabyte of content can result in charges of anywhere between 1 and €5
Downloading a short video, a few minutes long at 3 - 4MB will cost between £1 on the cheapest tariff and £9 - £20 on the most expensive tariffs in the UK
"2009 could be a pivotal year for rich mobile content, but for this to happen, consumers need a transparent pricing mechanism to purchase rich content. Content providers need to be sure that their consumers are treated fairly," said Andrew Bud, executive chairman, mBlox. "Ultimately we believe the price consumers see should be the price they pay. The current system of data pricing is severely restricting the growth of the mobile content market as consumers fear facing frightening bills."
Use our easy broadband usage calculator to estimate your data allowance requirement before purchasing your mobile broadband deal.
The mobile communications firm, Nokia, is about to launch its version of a mobile broadband dongle which will be available in early 2009.
In 2006 and 2007 Nokia unsuccessfully attempted to enter the 3G market by developing internal modems in partnership with Intel. However this new attempt is likely to be different as they are approaching this through the very much in demand mobile broadband market which has seen huge growth in sales this year.
Yet there is no guarantee that the Nokia brand will be able to complete with the Chinese made Huawei dongle that is available through Vodafone and 3. During 2009, the worldwide market for mobile broadband is expected to grow by thirty per cent to around twenty six million units, compared to the four hundred and forty million mobile phones that Nokia sells.
Option N.V., the wireless technology company, today announced that T-Mobile UK is adding an Option USB wireless modem to its pioneering mobile broadband service. The iCON 431 is an intelligent HSUPA USB modem offering fast, future-proof broadband connectivity: it will be marketed by T-Mobile UK as the Mobile Broadband USB Stick 530.
Option's iCON 431 can download at speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps and upload at up to 5.7 Mbps. Tri-band HSPA in the 900, 1900 & 2100 MHz bands ensures iCON 431 users can obtain mobile broadband connections in countries all over the world. Ease-of-use is guaranteed by Option's patented Zero-CD Plug 'n' Play technology that automatically installs all necessary drivers and application software when the device is first connected to a PC.
The sleek and compact device measures just 76 x 27 x13 mm when the USB connector is retracted within its body. An innovative Micro-SD slot can accommodate an 8 GB card making the iCON 431 a versatile data storage device.
The Toshiba G450 works as a USB memory stick, an mp3 player, a mobile broadband modem, and a phone! To get the 3G modem functionality you need to add an appropriate SIM which should have unlimited (or high monthly allowance) 3G access associated with it. The G450 is larger than your average modem-only USB dongle, as there is a dual rotary-layout keypad on one side – plus a screen. Toshiba has made good use of the available screen estate and things are really quite simple and intuative to use.
Modem installation files are drawn from on-board the device, meaning CDs etc are not needed in common with most standard dongles. The G450 charges each time it is connected to the PC. The status monitor software runs in the system tray as a process (on Windows PCs) and reports connection status and allows a manual disconnect which is useful.
The memory stick function doesn't have much capacity (160Mb) so is only of limited use, the MP3 player may be redundant for many who are already equipped in that respect and the same could be said for the phone functionality. However, as a converged package, all it's lacking is a camera! The G450 has everything you need on the move and it's available in the UK for around £130.
PA Consulting Group says that it has recently been awarded a contract by the UK's telecoms regulator, Ofcom to predict spectrum availability across the UK over the next 15 to 20 years.
In this nine month study, PA will design and build a model capable of evaluating a number of future scenarios, between now and 2025, for spectrum demand. The future scenarios will assess spectrum demand based on growth of cellular technologies and demand for High Definition TV. It will also look at the ability of current voice, data and broadcast networks to respond to that demand which could include changes in technology, such as growth of femtocell and other technologies.
PA is to set up a panel of industry experts from the mobile, broadcast and fixed wireless access communities who will validate the findings of the study, which are due for submission to Ofcom in February 2009.
Embedded mobile broadband over-hyped but will grow
The near-term importance of new embedded-3G and embedded-WiMAX notebooks has been significantly over-estimated, according to a new research report published by Disruptive Analysis. Even in three year's time, laptops with built-in wireless access will only be used by 30% of total, active mobile broadband subscribers globally. External USB modems (or "dongles") will account for 58% - almost twice as many.
However, the report, "Mobile Broadband Computing: Device Market Forecasts & Business Model Scenarios" predicts that in the long term, embedded mobile broadband will indeed overtake separate modems, in terms of both shipments and the active user base. By 2014, there will be 150m users of notebooks and the smaller "netbooks" with embedded mobile broadband worldwide. In terms of device shipments, 100m wireless-enabled laptops will be sold annually by then although not all of them will actually be activated.
The study identifies numerous reasons for the slower-than-anticpated growth of embedded WWAN (wireless wide area networking). Key reasons include: the global recession impacting notebook purchases, unfavourable pricing differentials; the limitations of the sales and support channels for mobile-enabled notebooks; and the typical two-year monthly contract payment model, which does not fit with much of the target market for these devices. This makes comparisons with the rapid rate of adoption of WiFi in laptops appear over-simplistic.
Interestingly, the report also predicts that 2009 will be a much more difficult year for mobile broadband, compared with the huge growth experienced in 2008. The recession and non-availability of credit will drive a softening of demand for laptops generally, as well as a focus on value. For most people, built-in 3G or WiMAX is a "nice to have", not a "must have".
Despite upgrades to higher peak speeds for HSPA, the total capacity is still limited by a range of network bottlenecks - referred to as the "Capacity Crunch".
One outcome will be a shift to new business models for mobile broadband. As well as revised prices and bandwidth caps, Disruptive Analysis expects to see new payment mechanisms emerge. Prepay ("pay as you go") accounts are already popular in some markets and this will increase. In addition, new session-based, sponsored or "free" mobile broadband models will start to mirror the WiFi hotspot business especially where network congestion can be lowered by the use of new femtocell access points. Conventional, long-term, monthly contracts will account for only 40% of worldwide mobile broadband subscribers by the end of 2011.
The report, "Mobile Broadband Computing: Device Market Forecasts & Business Model Scenarios" is available to buy from Disruptive Analysis. It includes detailed analysis of new product sales (3G laptops, netbooks, dongles, MIDs), installed base and mobile broadband service uptake by device type, network technology and business/payment model. Details are available at disruptive-analysis.com.
USA's Verizon Wireless is taking a stand - in the race to deploy 4G LTE mobile broadband service, they don't want to come in second to AT&T or Japan's NTT DoCoMo, the latter of which said it would offer such a network commercially in 2010. According to executive vice president and chief technology officer of Verizon Communications, Dick Lynch, they plan to begin rolling the enhanced network capabilities out by about this time next year, ahead of the original 2010 timetable.
The original plan called for initial rollouts in 2010, with a wide commercial launch in 2011 and true mass availability coming shortly after. But according to an IDC analyst, Verizon’s new, more aggressive deployment schedule was likely inspired by the threat of launching after another company. Verizon wants to be first!
After introducing LTE, Verizon plans to offer subscribers small in-home base stations known as femtocells, which will extend the signal indoors - likely including built-in Wi-Fi, which will allow newer personal electronics such as cameras to automatically exchange information over the air.
BT Group has selected network equipment maker Tellabs Inc as its partner to support its ethernet-based mobile backhaul service.
As part of the five-year deal, Tellabs will support BT as its customers migrate from traditional leased lines to the higher-capacity, 21 century ethernet-based base station connectivity which will enable customers to manage data traffic growth, BT said.
The announcement is likely to be seen as a boost for Tellabs after the firm warned in October its fourth-quarter revenue would fall far short of Wall Street estimates, although no financial details regarding the deal were revealed.
The agreement comes as mobile operators push mobile broadband services as a new stream of revenues which results in growing backhaul requirements. Four of the five UK mobile operators use BT's 21 century service for their backhaul requirements.
Backhaul network capacity is key to the anticipated growth of mobile broadband - it is one of the primary reasons for the current data limits imposed by the providers.
LG Electronics has developed the first handset modem chip based on LTE standards - which can theoretically support wireless download speeds of 100Mbps and upload speeds of 50Mbps.
LG demonstrated the chip today at its Mobile Communication Technology Research Lab in Anyang, Korea, achieving wireless download speeds of 60 Mbps and upload speeds of 20 Mbps. The fastest phones currently on the market use HSDPA technology and download at a maximum speed of 7.6 Mbps.
For the past three years, LG have been pursuing 3GPP LTE standardization, working to develop and test commercially viable LTE technology with around 250 staff. "Now that LG has developed and tested the first 4G handset modem, a commercially viable LTE handset is on the horizon," said Dr. Woo Hyun Paik, CTO of LG Electronics.
According to market research company Strategy Analytics, the global LTE handset market will double from 70 million sales units in 2012 to 150 million sales units by 2013. The first LTE mobile phones will likely reach the market in 2010.
O2 UK chief Ronan Dunne reckons O2 would "lack ambition" if it were to follow current model for laptop retail in mobile space
Telefonica O2 UK chief executive Ronan Dunne (pictured) said last week O2 will not sell laptops in the manner of rival network and multiple retailers. Dunne said such a move would be a step back, towards an old box-shifting model of mobile retail.
O2 will likely range laptops in its stores early next year, but will work web content and services into the bundles to drive mobile broadband revenues. O2 wants devices optimised to drive traffic across the O2 network, whether that is mobile phones or laptops.
He said: "If O2 is just moving laptops sold in PC World and Carphone Warehouse, then we lack ambition. If a connected world is a better world, the question is how to move that model forward."
Dunne explained: "We are seeing a huge uplift in the laptop market in the UK at the same time as a surge in mobile broadband sales, and I'm not sure which is driving which.
"But all that is really happening is the mobile model is being replicated [in the laptop sales]. That doesn't give value to customers. We have to innovate around this whole connected world."
He added: "Next year, you will see significant innovation from us in the whole connected world space, beyond just shifting hardware."
Ericsson and Telstra have achieved an industry first in Australia: the successful activation of HSPA Evolution functionality capable of peak network speeds up to 21 Mbps into the Telstra Next G(TM)commercial network and the world's first data call on the newly-enabled network. For the first time, a commercial network makes use of the enhanced, standardized improvements called HSPA Evolution.
This enhancement adds a new dimension to broadband experience withthe capability for significantly faster internet browsing and file download, even faster than many fixed broadband connections. With HSPA Evolution, operators will increase the capacity in the networks and reduce the costs to deliver Mobile Broadband services.
This improvement is the first step of HSPA Evolution, also known as HSPA+. The improvement is provided by enhancements standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), bringing the maximum possible downlink speed for HSPA to 21Mbps, much higher than the current maximum of 14Mbps. The step to 21Mbps is obtained by using a higher-order modulation, called 64QAM that makes it possible for HSPA systems to send data bits with a higher rate. Future steps in the HSPA Evolution path include technologies like Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna technologies and multi-carrier transmission. By combining these improvements, downlink speeds over 80Mbps and uplink speeds over 20Mbps will be possible. 21Mbps is the peak network downlink speed. Actual customer download speeds can be less and will vary due to congestion, distance from the cell, local conditions, hardware, software and other factors.
Even more competitive mobile broadband pricing in 2009
UK ISPs will tomorrow implement a voluntary Code of Practice designed to stop them misleading customers over broadband speeds and improve customer service. They will act the day after telecoms watchdog Ofcom published still-to-be-defined proposals for enforcing consumer protection policies that punish mis-selling and help customers switch broadband providers. More than 40 ISPs including Be, BT, Demon, Pipex, Plusnet, Sky, Tiscali and Virgin Media, have agreed to provide more accurate estimates about achievable data speeds in their promotional material, following widespread complaints about slower-than-advertised bandwidth in the past.
Ofcom's draft annual plan for 2009/10 will also examine the mobile broadband market, with a view to deregulating controls in the hope that competition amongst mobile operators will bring per-megabyte prices down further. The European Commission is already piling considerable pressure onto mobile network operators to reduce prices, which - combined with an expansion in the number of mobile virtual network operators - means the mobile broadband market is closer to reaching the level of competitiveness that Ofcom requires if it is to deregulate.
"If [mobile broadband] price points get to the stage where mobile operators are no longer perceived as an oligopoly acting in a cartel fashion, providers could be allowed to set their own prices more freely and competition would settle the rest in much the same way as it has in the fixed telecom world," said Scott Morrisson, research vice president at analyst Gartner.
You can now find and compare laptop-inclusive mobile broadband deals from all the major network providers. We offer you an unparalleled and extensive range of deals both direct from the networks and via retailers such as Carphone Warehouse.
Our site carries detailed specifications of the available laptops as well as meaningful cost comparisons - including total contract cost etc.
So, if you're in the market for a laptop-inclusive mobile broadband deal this Christmas start your search now at MobileBroadbandInfo.co.uk.
Mobile broadband has seen exponential growth in 2008, yet in the face of the credit crunch mobile providers and retailers are turning away 50% of their business due to very stringent credit checks. During October and November UK based broadband comparison site Broadband Expert has witnessed that on average half of the sales sent to retailers offering a mobile broadband and free laptop deal were rejected after running a credit check.
Broadband Expert Commercial Director Rob Webber believes certain retailers and mobile providers are being overly cautious, "companies are spending huge amounts on advertising campaigns promoting these offers yet when the consumer comes to sign up, there is a strong chance they will be refused based on a credit check".
Webber sees a certain irony in the high rejection rates of these contracts since the offer of spreading the cost of a laptop over an extended period is "particularly popular with students and those on lower incomes who cannot afford the upfront costs of a new laptop, yet these are the people most likely to be excluded from these offers."
Most mobile broadband and laptop deals have contract periods of between 18 and 24 months with a typical monthly cost of £25 to £40. Since these contracts carry no upfront charge for with the laptop or the dongle, there is a significant level of risk for the retailer. Webber believes the "stringency of credit checks is an interesting barometer of the confidence retailers have in consumers meeting repayments with many only unwilling to extend these deals to those without a very good credit rating".
Mobile Broadband data allowances double in 12 months
Mobile Broadband user allowances have doubled over the last 12 month period, to reach an average of 3.9GB, up from 1.8GB a year ago.
A new report published by Tariff Consultancy Ltd called Mobile Broadband Pricing 2009 highlights the growing importance of Mobile Broadband services in Europe.
Mobile Broadband Pricing 2009 – an analysis of current Mobile Broadband* pricing in 33 countries across Eastern and Western Europe - details the continued overall decline in price levels over the past year together with the spread of larger user allowance packages with flat rate pricing that is transforming the growth prospects for a number of mobile operators.
The main findings from the report include:
Mobile Broadband flat rate bundles are now the norm across Europe and are the most common form of price package
The average flat rate package bundle provided has doubled over the last 12 months to almost 4GB (based on the analysis of 100 mobile operators)
The most common monthly user allowance price point on offer across Europe is now 5GB and 10GB, closely followed by 1GB and 500MB allowances
There are at least 20 mobile operators across all countries which are now offering an 'unlimited' user allowance for their Mobile Broadband service
Pricing in 2008 has fallen by an average of 4% across all countries when compared with the previous year – even though average user allowances have more than doubled
80 per cent of Mobile Broadband operators in Europe charge a Per MB out of monthly allowance – for national traffic - with charges ranging up to 3.27 euro per MB although typical rates are between 10 and 20 euro cents.
Average Mobile Broadband prices have fallen by as much as 53%, 43% and 35% in Latvia, Austria and the UK respectively over the past year.
In Ireland, Germany, Sweden and Spain average Mobile Broadband prices are now significantly lower than the most popular fixed line DSL Broadband service, which is driving customers to the mobile Broadband offer.
New offerings include: Prepaid; Per day, Per week, monthly with an 'off-peak' or time-limited tariff.
Commenting on the research findings, Tariff Consultancy Ltd Managing Director Margrit Sessions said, "Although Mobile Broadband pricing has continued to decline overall, the most striking feature has been the continued increase in monthly user allowances which have more than doubled in the course of a year."
With more mobile operators deploying HSDPA networks – capable of supporting downloads of up to 7.2MB – the increase in flat rate packages is likely to continue.
"Mobile operators have to ensure that they provision the network capacity to meet the demand that flat rate pricing will create and also safeguard against over-selling their service," continued Margrit Sessions.
Although subscriber number growth is driven by larger flat rate Mobile Broadband packages, it is clear that mobile operators will face a number of challenges if they are to translate user growth to profitability.
"The key to long-term success is for the Mobile Broadband operator to develop a segmented approach to its offer with the emphasis on improving its network coverage (for example by offering a Wi-Fi bundle as well) together with a more transparent pricing scheme," concludes Margrit Sessions.
*(defined as being download access speeds in excess of 384KB)
O2 today launches the UK's leading priced mobile broadband Pay & Go service as it continues to re-instate consumer confidence in mobile broadband.
By launching its USB modem at £29.99, O2 is following up its commitment to offer its customers great products with clear pricing and no strings attached.
Pay & Go mobile broadband customers will also benefit from O2's new coverage checker and 50-day Happiness Guarantee. Since these new customer-focused measures were launched in November, O2 has seen a considerable drop in the number of returned USB modems, showing that simple, honest advice has led to consumers being better informed at the time of purchase.
O2 Mobile Broadband Pay & Go offers users a fast and easy way to access the internet at home and on the move, without the need for long-term contracts. Customers will be able to access download speeds of up to 3.6Mbps and will have unlimited access to over 6,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the UK, through our partners at The Cloud.
O2 Mobile Broadband Pay & Go is available in a range of options starting at just £2 a day for 500MB, £7.50 a week for 1GB or £15 a month for 3GB depending on their needs, all with unlimited Wi-Fi access.
Peter Rampling, O2 Marketing Director said: "Last month we stated our intention to clean up the mobile broadband market and give consumers the fairest and most honest deals. Our O2 Mobile Broadband Pay & Go will appeal to those customers who want to snack on the internet without the need to commit to a long term contract. Our younger customers want to live online and can do so with Pay & Go at affordable prices"
Getting O2 Mobile Broadband Pay & Go started couldn't be simpler; simply slot the small USB memory stick into the USB port of a computer and it sets up automatically on a PC or Mac in just a few minutes.
You can purchase this great O2 PAYG offer online or instore.
Orange has achieved the number one position in customer experience in the mobile broadband market according to an in-depth report commissioned by independent research and consulting organisation, YouGov.
The report highlights that Orange has bolstered its customer satisfaction ratings, winning customers over with its outstanding network performance. Specific emphasis is placed on Orange network reliability at any point during the day or night, its network coverage reach, and its ability to deliver a continuous mobile broadband connection. After the announcement laid out by Tom Alexander, Orange is also identified as being the most improved network operator currently in the market.
"Being awarded the best mobile broadband network by our customers across the UK is a real honour. We have taken significant measures to improve the quality of our network for both voice and data, and are so glad that our customers are really starting to see the benefit," commented Paul Tollet, vice president, Orange Business. "Orange is not only committed to improving our overall network coverage but we also go that extra bit further and develop the right tariffs, services and devices so everyone can get the benefit of mobile broadband wherever they are, whenever they want and at the right price."
The research captured responses from nearly 3,150 fixed and mobile broadband users who were asked questions on how they currently access the internet, the quality of service provided by their ISP or mobile broadband operator, and what they consider to be valuable. The report also highlighted that reliability and good coverage were highly correlated with quality.
An article at Times Online today debates the future of copper broadband in the UK in the face of the potential speeds of both 3G and 4G mobile broadband. This is something we at mobilebroadbandinfo.co.uk have debated for some time.
It is the digital equivalent of a power blackout and the prospect is already worrying ministers and government planners - at some point in the next decade, the copper telephone network will run out of capacity.
Confronting the problem is expected to lie at the heart of Lord Carter of Barnes's Digital Britain review of communications policy, due early next year, with efforts to solve it focused on an unlikely source: mobile phones.
The Communications Minister is yet to reveal his plans, but he has been dropping heavy hints, writing in The Times this month that he wants to help to develop "mobile and wireless services that can do for broadband and video what they have done for the spoken word"e;.
His goal is to kick-start an auction of "fourth-generation" mobile technology, using a block of spectrum previously set aside for digital television. The 4G technology, known in the industry as LTE, or Long-Term Evolution, can deliver download speeds of ten megabits or more - five times quicker than a standard fixed broadband connection - in fact tests have achieved speeds of 160Mbps.
BT has promised to upgrade up to 40per cent of homes to fibre optic technology - where data is transmitted down filaments of glass at the speed of light - but the rest of the UK will be stuck on copper.
BT will use a new standard, ADSL2+, which promises speeds of "up to 24 megabits" - in theory ten times faster than the two-megabit standard of today. However, theory does not always match up to practice and other internet providers that use BT's network may not want to join it in investing to match its speed.
The 2.6 GHz spectrum can be used for fourth-generation LTE services, but the relatively high frequency means that it requires more base stations, raising the cost of deploying a national network to £2billion, and coverage indoors is poor.
This weakness makes the separate television spectrum much more interesting. A chunk between 790 and 862 megahertz - "the sweetspot in the sweetspot" available from 2012 - has been identified by Ofcom. It would cost far less to deploy, provide better coverage indoors and, it is believed, give fourth-generation phones ten megabit-plus speeds.
If the mobile broadband plan works, rapid internet development will continue into the next decade, fuelled by competing technologies. And, at last, it may be possible to watch Mamma Mia! on your mobile while sitting in a café.
Recent research shows that mobile broadband users have grown to 7.3 million in the UK, an increase of twenty five per cent, but at the same time fixed line broadband has increased by just three per cent.
Fixed line broadband users are already in excess of thirty five million and although there has been a only a small increase in users, fixed line is still the preferred way of connecting to the internet for most UK users.
The largest group of people likely to be using mobile broadband are in the fifteen to twenty five age group. They make up about twenty five per cent of all mobile broadband users.
Orange launches combined home and mobile broadband deal
Orange today announced a new broadband offer aimed at making it even easier for customers to get online and access the content they want regardless of whether they are at home or on the move.
For just £20 per month, 'Orange Home & Mobile Broadband' customers get:
Fixed line broadband with download speeds of up to 8 MB, a free wireless router and inclusive evening and weekend calls to UK landlines (starting with 01, 02 and 03)
And...
Mobile broadband with inclusive USB dongle, download speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps and a download usage allowance of 3GB per month
Also launched today, for customers wanting even more flexibility, Orange has created 'Internet Everywhere 30 Days' providing a unique opportunity to try the service on a one month rolling contract. After purchasing a USB dongle for a one off fee of £49.99, customers will be able to experience up to 3.6Mbps mobile broadband with a 3GB usage allowance for just £20 per month.
Asif Aziz, Director of Broadband and Home, Orange UK, said: "We believe these new offers not only complement our existing fixed and mobile broadband service range, but also provide flexible alternatives to meet the needs of today’s 21st century customer - who quite rightly demands a premium service at the same time as best value for money."
The move follows the largest set of improvements to the company's fixed line broadband service to date (announced in September this year) with the company's service recently listed in the UK's top three ISP list for fixed line broadband download speeds by Moneysupermarket.com. Orange was also voted the top provider for 'overall mobile broadband service quality' and 'best mobile broadband network' according to a YouGov mobile broadband UK wide survey in October this year.
The Orange Home and Mobile Broadband offer is available immediately from Orange via Orange stores, Orange Telesales (0800 079 2000) and from Orange's online shop shortly, with Internet Everywhere 30 Days also available immediately via Orange stores and Orange Telesales.
Over 100 million mobile broadband subscriptions added in 12 months
3G Americas, a wireless industry trade association representing the GSM family of technologies including LTE, today reports that 3G UMTS/HSPA mobile broadband technology continues its momentum throughout the world, adding more than 100 million subscriptions in the twelve months ending in the third quarter 2008 -- achieving a significant milestone in subscriber additions.
At the end of third quarter 2008, global GSM/HSPA wireless subscriptions were nearly 3.4 billion adding 688 million new subscriptions for the GSM family of technologies in one year and capturing an 88.5% share of market, according to industry research firm, Informa Telecoms & Media.
In the Western Hemisphere, the number of mobile broadband subscriptions continued to grow at an explosive rate, having reached 499 million subscriptions at the end of the third quarter and then passing the half a billion milestone in October. CDMA technologies registered 463 million total subscriptions worldwide as of third quarter 2008, according to the CDMA Development Group. In comparison, there are more GSM/HSPA connections in the Americas region than CDMA narrowband connections worldwide.
The GSM family of technologies represents 69% share of market in North, Central and South America, and registered annual growth of 115 million subscriptions at the end of September 2008, an annual growth rate of 30%. Informa forecasts more than 628 million GSM/HSPA subscriptions in the Americas region by the end of 2010.
The GSMA, the global trade body for the mobile industry, and Huawei, a leading provider of next-generation end-to-end telecommunications solutions, have joined forces to help the mobile industry realise the huge potential market for consumer and industrial goods that can connect to 3G mobile networks. Huawei has joined the GSMA's Embedded Mobile initiative, which will initially focus on bringing the benefits of continuous mobile connectivity to the consumer electronics, clean energy, healthcare, transport and utilities sectors.
Devices with embedded mobile connections can automatically exchange images, information and other data with mobile phones, computers or the Internet, enabling people, businesses and society as a whole to function more efficiently and effectively. The Embedded Mobile initiative is being led by KTF, Rogers Wireless, Smart, Softbank, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Telstra and Vodafone. The GSMA will bring other operators, equipment suppliers and manufacturers of consumer and industrial goods into the Embedded Mobile initiative.
"Our ultimate goal is that every machine, device, object will have broadband mobile connectivity. Everything around us will be using mobile networks to exchange information with each other and with the Internet," said Rob Conway, CEO and Member of the Board of the GSMA. "There are many possible applications: Connected cameras could automatically upload photos to Web sites, cars could regularly send detailed performance information to mechanics, while sensors could transmit emissions data direct to computer systems monitoring the environment."
The Embedded Mobile initiative aims to foster collaboration among consumer electronics and industrial product manufacturers to spur adoption, while developing common technical standards and platforms. The initiative endeavours to aid equipment suppliers to achieve greater economies of scale in order to bring down the prices of 3G modules that can be embedded in cars, cameras, health monitoring devices, environmental sensors, energy meters and many other machines. This work will complement and expand the existing market for embedding mobile connections into machines.
One of the first priorities will be to develop a common application programming interface (API) that consumer goods manufacturers will be able to use to make their products compatible with many different 3G mobile networks.
"We are very glad to work with the GSMA to develop the new commercial applications for mobile broadband. Based on our great success with mobile broadband terminals, we have no doubt that this collaboration will drive further development of the industry," said Edward Chen, CEO of Huawei Communication Technologies. "Huawei has shipped more than 20 million sets of mobile broadband terminals and will continue to play an important role in the future products and solutions for the module market."
"With a broad global coverage of mobile broadband connectivity, the embedded mobile market now can reap the benefit of greater economies of scale as mobile broadband can be used anywhere in the world," said Dr. Terry Ahn, Executive Vice President and Head of Business Development at KTF. "The value of networking will increase exponentially as human and machines, machine and machines can communicate. This market presents great growth opportunities not only to the mobile industry but also to other related industries."
"Mobile penetration can and should eventually rise to several hundred per cent as everything from cars to cameras to health monitors to industrial sensors become connected to mobile networks, enabling them to automatically send images, information and other data to their owners," said Mike Short, Vice President of Research and Development at Telefonica Europe, the parent company of O2. "But realising this vision depends on the industry taking a common approach that will enable manufacturers to achieve economies of scale. This GSMA programme is an important step in that direction."
"Affordable devices that can connect faster and help deliver relevant services to subscribers have an important place in our strategy. These devices with embedded 3G mobile connectivity modules will play a crucial part in pushing the conventional boundaries of our business through services that can make a difference to the lives of people," said Napoleon L. Nazareno, President and CEO, SMART.
This Fractals of Change blog post provides an interesting insight into one such application of mobile broadband - real time traffic reports in 'online cars'.
Japan's largest mobile network operator plans to beef up its wireless data services by introducing LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile broadband in 2010, becoming one of the first companies globally to offer the new technology.
NTT DoCoMo started testing LTE, which it calls Super 3G (third generation mobile telecommunications) and others call 3.9G, in July of 2006. The technology improves wireless download and access speeds over current EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) and HSPA (high-speed packet access) technologies. Early test have indicated potentials speeds of up to 160Mbps.
The company will introduce LTE commercially in 2010, said NTT DoCoMo CEO Ryuji Yamada, in a speech at the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress in Macau, China. He said his company needs speedier broadband to keep up with the video services Japanese consumers demand.
The new plans suggest that 'up to' 7.2Mbps services will be available to 98% of the population by summer 2009. Furthermore those living in 'big' cities, such as London, should be able to receive 'up to' 14.4Mbps by the third quarter of 2010.
Australian mobile operator, Telstra has shown off the fastest mobile broadband modem on the planet capable of reaching peak network downlink speeds of 21Mbps.
Speaking at the company's annual Investor Day briefing, Mike Wright, Executive Director, Wireless Engineering and Operations, confirmed Telstra was on track to super charge Next G network speeds with the 21Mbps capability by the end of the year.
At the Investor Day, Telstra hosted its first public enhanced HSPA (eHSPA) data session, showcasing the enhanced network speeds and demonstrating the capabilities of the super-fast new modem. Trials of the 21Mbps mobile broadband modem will begin in December with a full commercial launch to follow early next year.
Orange have announced a new edition to its 'connected laptop' range. Following the huge popularity of its initial laptop offering launched in August, Orange is now upgrading its consumer offer to make it even easier for consumers to get online by launching the Eee PC 901 with embedded 3G connectivity.
Available from mid-November, the new ultra portable Eee PC comes in a choice of either black or pink and features Intel's Atom processor. What's more, the Eee PC 901 comes equipped with five hours of battery life, an integrated webcam, and features an 8.9" compact design, weighing in at just 1.1kg - making it the ultimate portable computing experience.
We'll bring you details of the offer just as soon as it's officially available.
Orange mobile broadband has been moving in the right direction over the past year, according to third quarter figures released by the company. Orange mobile broadband has seen the number of subscribers increase by a massive eighty six per cent. This takes the total amount of users to just under three million and corresponds to an increase of data usage during the second quarter.
The provider is hoping that towards the end of 2009, they should be in a position to offer a mobile broadband connection speed of 14.4 Mbps in the five largest UK cities, while the top thirty cities can expect to achieve 7.3 Mbps and for the rest of the country around 2 Mbps can be expected.
We just had to tell you about this amazing value deal from 3. It's only available until 31st November, so be quick! If you're looking for great value mobile phone and mobile broadband there honestly is no better deal around today.
For just £20/month you get all this:
FREE Sony Ericsson K660i (Lime or Black), or Nokia 3120
500 minutes or texts per month (Mix & Match 500) - any network
Unlimited 3 to 3 minutes per month
Free Voicemail
Free Mobile Broadband Dongle
A huge 5GB of Mobile Broadband data allowance per month
New premium USB mobile broadband dongle available at launch on promotional tariffs
Vodafone has launched a premium USB mobile broadband dongle, the USB Stick Pro. The new dongle, in black, has a retractable USB connector and comes with an integrated 4GB micro SD memory card. It will be available free on selected price plans online, in store and via telesales channel.
As a promotion, Vodafone is for a limited time offering its mobile broadband 3GB plan for £10 per month for the first three months on 24 month contracts – a saving of £15 over three months.
Similarly, the 5GB plan will be £15 per month for the first three months – a saving of £30. The Stick Pro is available on 5GB plans from free on 24 and 18 month contracts and from £29 on 12 month plans.
Vodafone is also introducing a new 1GB 30-day plan for 'Stick Lite' users to complement the existing £0 3GB 30-day plan. The Stick Lite is £49 on 30-days plans, and free on 18 month and 24 month 3GB plans.
3 launches new mobile broadband packages for small business
New 3 tariffs allow businesses to add a second user for half-price, as well as giving more generous data usage limits.
3 Business, the new small business division of mobile operator 3, today launches two new offers to give small businesses more cost-effective access to mobile broadband. The changes see 3 considerably increasing the amount of data available to users in their existing small business bundles, as well as letting SMEs buying one mobile broadband package to get another for half price.
The new bundles, called Broadband 5GB and Broadband 15 GB, increase in-bundle data allowance from 3GB and 7GB to 5GB and 15GB respectively. Additionally 3 Business is also allowing any small business buying an 18 or 24 month mobile broadband or voice package to buy a second MBB plan at half price. Existing customers wanting to buy a new Business MBB package will also benefit, being given 50% off line rental for the new plan.
The changes will allow 3 Business to continue to provide the best of the Internet to the small business user on the move, increasing their productivity and flexibility.
The MBB dongle can also be used in conjunction with the new D100 mobile broadband router. This allows businesses to provide shared wireless broadband without a landline, which can be especially valuable in temporary locations and places where WiFi access is required.
Renato Bottini, Head of 3 Business said, "3 Business has always been focussed on offering small businesses a wide range of communications options at the best possible price. It is especially important in today's climate for small businesses to be able to work smartly on the go, without paying over the odds."
"With these new offerings we believe we have achieved this goal, providing a service at a price which makes mobile working a reality for small businesses."
The new offerings and tariffs are available from today, more details can be found at http://three.co.uk/business
From Monday 3 November, Virgin Media launches some new mobile broadband packages.
From as little as £5 per month, new and existing Virgin Media broadband customers on cable or ADSL services can stay connected to the internet on the go by simply plugging Virgin Media's new 1GB USB modem into a laptop.
These bundled packages from Virgin Media include:
Monthly cost is £5 per month for customers on Virgin Media's XL (20Mb) or L (10Mb) cable broadband packages, or Virgin Media's ADSL 'Bundle 1' (Up to 8Mb Unlimited Broadband and Talk Anytime)
Monthly cost is £10 per month for customers on Virgin Media's M (2Mb) cable broadband package or Virgin Media's ADSL 'Bundle 2' (Up to 8Mb Unlimited Broadband and Talk Evenings and Weekends) or the basic ADSL up to 8Mb Unlimited Broadband service
The Virgin Media 1GB USB modem has a one-off cost of £25
Included data allowance per month is 1GB
Monthly usage over the 1GB allowance is charged at 1.46 pence per MB
Graeme Oxby, Virgin Media's Managing Director for Mobile said: "Our 1GB mobile broadband is great for people who need home broadband but also want access to the internet on the move. The bundle is exceptional value and offers complete peace of mind, not only because it comes from genuine broadband experts but also because it offers the safety net of considerably cheaper rates if customers go over the monthly data allowance."
1 in 10 mobile broadband customers feel they were mis-sold
New research commissioned by UK mobile operator, O2 shows that over one in ten mobile broadband users feel that they were mis-sold on what it offered. The main source of irritation is that consumers feel that they were deceived on the cost of the service with nearly a third complaining that the ongoing cost was higher than expected. One-fifth were also upset that they were unable to use mobile broadband where they wanted it despite being told by providers that there would be coverage. Another 13 percent were frustrated that there was no returns guarantee if the service wasn't right for them and around half wanted inclusive Wi-Fi as standard.
The refresh includes making it easier for customers to be certain of their ongoing spend including a price reduction on core mobile broadband tariffs, the launch of a new coverage checker and a 50-day Happiness Guarantee which allows customers, who purchased directly from O2, to return the device to O2 within 50 days of purchase with no termination fees being charged and any costs for purchasing the device being refunded.
The first of these is making it easier for customers to be certain of their spend. The biggest issue in the market at the moment is the cost of using data abroad.
To help save what could be an unexpected surprise on their bill, international roaming will not be automatically enabled for all new O2 Mobile Broadband customers. New customers will need to contact O2 Customer Service to have roaming activated so that O2 can explain the likely costs.
"Across the industry there are too many customers whose mobile broadband expectations have been set too high and have then been disappointed, which is a terrible shame given there are loads of people who are having a great time with mobile broadband," said Peter Rampling, Marketing Director, O2. "We want to continue to try to set the right expectation so all our mobile broadband customers know what sort of service they are going to get. And rather than just say it, we are underwriting this commitment with our unique 50 day happiness guarantee."
Two national press advertisements for Vodafone's mobile broadband claimed "the fastest, most reliable mobile broadband in the galaxy", for "only £15 a month".
Text in the adverts also read: "Leap into hyperdrive. With Vodafone's mobile broadband you get download speeds of up to 7.2Mbps on your laptop, which is as quick as most home broadband… enjoy mobile broadband that's light years ahead."
The ASA responded to the complaints by 3 and T-Mobile: "The claims 'fastest' and 'most reliable' mobile broadband service were misleading.
"We concluded that, because readers would understand it was based on both the speed and reliability of the Vodafone service, and because we had not seen evidence to support those claims, the claim 'mobile broadband that's light years ahead' was misleading.
"The ads must not appear again in their current form. We told Vodafone to make clear the basis of their claims in future."
T-Mobile's UK 3G/HSPA network has been judged the best in the UK in independent tests carried out by test house, P3 Solutions over the last quarter.
The tests benchmark T-Mobile against its competitors by measuring customer experiences that matter most to users during peak usage hours across 16 cities throughout the UK. When measured against its competitors, T-Mobile was found on aggregate to be fastest for internet upload and download speeds as well as for web browsing and for sending and receiving emails.
The time it takes to access the BBC homepage, for example, was found to be up to 25% faster on average using T-Mobile than its nearest competitor. Similarly, as the popularity of social networking sites continues to grow, these tests show that T-Mobile customers who upload photos to Facebook or videos to YouTube will benefit from the fastest overall upload speeds across the UK, with a 60% performance advantage over its nearest rival.
Emin Gurdenli, Chief Technology Officer, T-Mobile UK, commented: "These independent tests clearly put T-Mobile's Mobile Broadband network ahead of the pack. P3's benchmarking reveals that our programme of continuous improvement and investment in network performance is delivering a richer experience for our fast-growing base of Mobile Broadband users. We have no intention of resting on our laurels – our regime of customer-centric testing is ongoing and this creates the framework for a continuous cycle of analysis and improvements to network performance."
The popularity of T-Mobile's Mobile Broadband service is underlined by a 35% rise in sales of data devices between Q2 and Q3 and an estimated market share of 22% in a segment that is growing overall by 11% a month.
Gurdenli continued: "We recognise that performance is a key enabler for our customers to access the internet anywhere and at any time they chose. We've removed all complexity from the Mobile Broadband story by offering unlimited usage, flat rates and non-committal tariffs that allow customers to access the service as and when they need it. Now customers have the added assurance that T-Mobile is delivering on its commitment to provide a superior Mobile Broadband experience."
This has been achieved by upgrading T-Mobile's 3G network with new technology to accelerate both download and upload speeds. T-Mobile was the first operator to roll out HSUPA on a nationwide basis, providing customers across a wide geography with a fivefold increase in upload speeds. T-Mobile is also upgrading the underlying download capability of its HSDPA-enabled 3G network to 7.2Mbps both within the M25 and other major cities, providing realistic Mobile Broadband speeds of up to 4.5Mbps in those enabled areas.
Asus and HP laptops sold out; new stock scheduled for November 1st.
Orange retail director described sales of laptops with Orange USB broadband dongles as 'amazing' to date. She said new stock will be available from Orange's direct sales channels by November 1, including 'exciting' new laptop models.
Orange shops started selling laptops for the first time on August 16; the Asus Eee PC was its first sale model; 'free' on Orange 'Internet Everywhere' mobile broadband for £25 on a 24 month contract inclusive of 3GB data allowance and 100 texts from the laptop.
Orange has also been selling Hewlett-Packard laptops on business mobile broadband tariffs. HP stock has also run dry.
IBM has released new survey results which claims that over 50 percent of consumers would substitute their Internet usage on a PC for a mobile device. IBM surveyed 600 consumers in the USA, China and the UK on their preferences regarding the mobile Internet and found that communication, travel and navigation applications, as well as news and information services, are expected to increase significantly in popularity and usage over the mobile Internet.
With the world's population of mobile-phone users expected to increase from the current 50 percent to 80 percent in 2013, which translates to a staggering 5.8 billion people, the availability of IP wireless broadband and more affordable devices will change the way companies around the world operate and relate to their customers, employees and partners.
"Worldwide adoption of the mobile phone as the preferred device for accessing the Internet is just around the corner," said Dr. Sungyoul Lee, Global Consulting Leader, Electronics Industry, IBM. "With 70 percent of consumers worldwide who believe that the mobile Internet has the potential to add significant to moderate value to their day-to-day lives, the time is now for companies to develop intuitive applications and services that allow people of all ages to effortlessly access and use the Internet while on the go -- anytime, and anywhere."
By 2011, 39 percent of respondents said they expect to increase Internet use on their mobile device by at least 40 percent. The Chinese consumers polled lead the world as the fastest adopting society of the mobile web. This finding is in synch with IBM's previous hypothesis that within emerging and leading edge markets, the mobile platform will be the primary way of interacting with businesses and institutions. These countries have in many cases leapfrogged the PC era and are routinely using their mobile devices for a variety of consumer services.
71 percent of respondents acknowledged that they expect to increase their usage of communication services such as obtaining maps and directions, instant messaging, social networking, emailing and reading the news from their mobile device. Growth markets like China and India are leading this adoption at a rapid pace and are proving to be the most open towards mobile internet than the mature markets. The survey found that consumers still prefer to execute services such as banking, stock trading, shopping and general search on the PC rather than a mobile device.
GfK Group has issued its latest statistics for Mobile Broadband USB Modem (Dongle) sales. The data shows that 149,000 such devices were sold during September 2008, compared with just 55,000 in January 2008.
However this isn't the peak; that occurred in July when 163,000 units were sold. 76% of Mobile Broadband users are on contract based services with the remaining 24% on 'pay as you go' (PAYG) deals.
However it's worth pointing out that the uptake of true PAYG has only recently taken off after T-Mobile and 3 Mobile launched a range of better priced options with fewer constraints, causing a significant rise in uptake.
You also get a free Huawei e220 USB Modem included. Max download speeds for this modem are quoted at 3.6Mbps, but 3 currently only offers a maximum of 2.8Mbps on their 3G network anyway.
BT is giving away mobile broadband connections to customers on its business internet tariffs.
Customers who renew or take out new contracts on selected BT Business Total Broadband tariffs will be given a "free" mobile dongle and connection.
The service is based on Vodafone's 3G network and comes with a download limit of 1GB. BT customers do, however, also receive 2,000 free minutes a month on BT's Openzone network of Wi-Fi hotspots.
In total, it means businesses can receive an ADSL broadband connection, mobile broadband and Wi-Fi from £27 a month. "We're adding value to our broadband offer at a time when businesses are up against it on costs," David Hughes, BT's director of wireless broadband told PC Pro. "It allows them to stay connected all the time."
BT, as with other mobile broadband providers, has decided to turn on website image compression by default. However, they don't give you the option of turning the compression off, unlike Vodafone's Mobile Connect. The BT software currently only works on Windows PCs, although the company claims it working on support for Mac OS X.
The mobile broadband deal is currently only open to businesses who renew or take out new deals on BT Business Total Broadband options 2 or 3. So what about the millions of business customers that BT has already signed up?
"We haven't got an upgrade package," Hughes admitted, although said the company would look into such an option. "We've started with business - we'll look at whether it's suitable for consumers after that," said Neil Laidler, director of Mobility BT Business.
Update:
BT Business Mobile Broadband, is also available as a 'standalone' option at £17.50 (+ VAT)/month.
T-Mobile forced to withdraw mobile broadband advert
T-Mobile has been heavily criticised for favourably comparing its mobile broadband offering with that of a fixed-line service.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said that the advert - which stated "All the benefits of home broadband, on the move. No wires, no waiting, no worries" - mislead consumers into thinking mobile broadband would deliver the same speed and quality as traditional home broadband.
The ASA stated mobile broadband was unlikely to offer speeds comparable with those of a high speed fixed-line service due to its reliance on cellular technology. "In particular, we were concerned that activities such as streaming, downloading and online gaming were unlikely to be available to mobile broadband users to the same standard as to fixed-line broadband users," it added.
The ASA ruled T-Mobile could not run the same advert in the future and must avoid the implication its mobile broadband service was of a comparable standard to fixed-line broadband.
In its defence, T-Mobile claimed the advert referred to the capacities of mobile broadband - not its speed, and maintained there was no implied direct technical comparison to fixed-line broadband.
Network provider 3 has come out tops in the Broadband Expert 2008 Mobile Broadband Awards.
The comparison site asked more than 4,000 mobile broadband users about their usage and the speed of their connections from January to September.
3 Mobile scooped four of the eight awards, winning best mobile broadband value, best notebook bundle, best pay as you go and best overall mobile broadband.
William Harvey, Broadband Expert technical director, said: "3 has led the way in reducing the cost of mobile broadband forcing other providers to bring down prices to stay competitive."
The award for fastest speed went to Vodafone with its mobile broadband service achieving an average speed of 2.74 Mbits/sec based on 4,026 speed tests.
Vodafone scooped the best coverage award, having received the least amount of negative feedback about lack of coverage, which was the biggest customer gripe across all providers.
T-Mobile won the fairest pricing award as it is the only mobile broadband provider to have no extra fees for exceeding download limits. It also picked up the customer satisfaction award with seven in 10 people saying they were happy with the service.
A Quarter of Broadband Homes to Be Mobile-Only by 2013
Wall Street Journal's Market Watch reports today...
Fixed operators need to come up with strategies for dealing with a rapid and invasive expansion of mobile broadband into their core growth area, consumer broadband, according to a new report, Mobile broadband: another substitution threat for fixed operators?, published by Analysys Mason, the premier advisers on telecoms, IT and digital media.
The report forecasts that by 2013, 47% of European broadband subscriptions will use mobile networks and nearly a quarter of broadband-equipped sites will use mobile-only. The speed of take-up of broadband via mobile USB modems has surprised many in the fixed broadband business - and, indeed, the mobile business - and the early indications are that consumers in Europe are using mobile broadband as a substitute for fixed. DSL subscriber net additions are drying up, and headline prices for mobile broadband are frequently lower than those for DSL.
Nearly half of fixed broadband users currently have a usage profile that is no higher than the average usage on mobile broadband, making the size of the addressable market for mobile broadband as a substitutive consumer proposition enormous.
O2 has the right idea: fixed-mobile broadband combo
Combined fixed-mobile operators would do well to follow the example of O2 UK and bundle fixed broadband with a mobile broadband subscription, says Analysys Mason. As discussed in a report recently published by Analysys Mason, O2 UK is using DSL as a valuable addition to mobile broadband.
"For MNOs that are present in the local loop unbundling (LLUB) market, fixed costs are high and they need to achieve scale quickly," says Matt Hatton, Principal Analyst at Analysys Mason, "Combined fixed-mobile operators can build much-needed scale in their fixed businesses, which until now have been only modestly successful."
Since September 2008, O2 UK has been offering subscribers one year of free 8Mbit/s DSL when they sign up for their standard mobile broadband service. The package costs £20 per month and has a data usage limit of 3GB per month. Most mobile broadband contracts in the UK have a data limit of 3GB per month, but competing plans cost £15 per month. In effect, O2 UK is charging £5 per month for the fixed DSL connection, plus access to The Cloud's 7500 Wi-Fi hotspots.
"Before September's announcement, O2 UK was failing to sign up mobile broadband customers as quickly as its competitors, particularly 3 UK and Vodafone UK, and had to do something to take a share of the growing market" explains Hatton. "Unfortunately, O2 UK's 3G coverage and capacity are worse than its competitors, making it difficult to attract subscribers and support a large mobile-broadband subscriber base. Combining mobile broadband with DSL brings benefits in the form of reducing traffic load on the wide-area network."
Hatton adds, "Most MNOs - rightly - continue to be concerned that the traffic generated by the rapidly increasing numbers of mobile-broadband subscribers will make unsustainable demands on their network. MNOs should be considering ways to offload as much traffic from the wide-area network as possible. Furthermore, as we have seen with voice contracts, most bundling will encourage customer loyalty and reduce churn, albeit with a risk of cannibalising revenue."
It's widely reported today that the UK's largest supermarket chain could be turning its attentions to the mobile broadband market.
According to the new CEO of Tesco Mobile, Lance Batchelor, the company is exploring options although there are no announcements to make with regards to how and when they intend to make this happen.
Tesco have already made changes to their own pre pay tariffs, making them more attractive to their customers through aggressive pricing and a simplistic way of operating.
This alone should cause the other providers to take notice, especially Virgin Mobile who are feeling the strain to remain the UK’s number one mobile virtual network operator (MVNO).
An own brand mobile broadband service would only help Tesco capture more of the market, especially as they are going to be able to apply the same method to this as they have with virtually every other marketplace that they enter.
A high-potential technology start-up has submitted an ambitious proposal to the European Union that will provide universal mobile broadband and mobile TV in all 27 member states.
Solaris Mobile, which is headed by former Kingston Communications CEO Steve Maine, is currently in the process of establishing its European headquarters in Dublin where it plans to employ 50 people.
The company is investing €130m in establishing a two-way communications global network for satellite communications.
Solaris Mobile, a Eutelsat and SES Astra joint venture, was established earlier this year to develop next-generation mobile TV services via satellite. The company's services will be aimed at broadcasters, telecoms operators, the automotives industry and data communications providers.
The company has submitted an application to the European Commission in response to a call for applications for pan-European systems providing mobile satellite services.
The aim of Solaris is to create the infrastructure to enable deployment of a fully-fledged TV experience on mobile devices on an 'anytime, anywhere' basis. The key difference with this venture is to allow satellite infrastructure to complement or even compete with existing terrestrial networks for the provision of broadcasting services to mobile devices.
Hot on the back of the recent T-Mobile USB hub news, 3-Mobile have released details of their mobile broadband sharing hub - and it looks good, very good. The D100 WiFi Router allows you to share your mobile broadband connection without the need for any additional hardware. An ideal solution for landline-free homes.
All it takes is plugging your mobile broadband dongle into the router, connecting to the Wi-Fi enabled device and voila you have Broadband to share. People can share their Broadband with up to four people in their home, who ever they may be. And when they're heading out of the house they can just pull the dongle out of the router and have web access on the move.
At the 8th annual Mobile Choice Awards 3 Mobile bagged the prize for best 'Tariff Deal of the Year'.
The tariff that brushed aside the competition was 3's Mobile Broadband offering in a category that featured Asda's prepay deal, the O2 iPhone tariff, the Virgin Liberty Sim deal and another 3 plan, the Mix and Match.
Judges were impressed with 3's endeavours in the market place in relation to Mobile Broadband, "3 have focused more than any other mobile operator on taking broadband out of the home and into the big, wide world. If you have a laptop or a mobile phone and you want to access the internet 3 makes it simple, and offers good value. It's innovative, the pricing is clear, and 3 is dominating the market."
The full list of Mobile Choice Consumer Awards winners for 2008 is listed below:
Phone of the Year: Nokia E71 Best Camera Phone: Samsung i8510 Tariff Deal of the Year: 3 Mobile Broadband Best Bluetooth Headset: Jawbone Noise Assassin Best Network: O2 Best Smartphone: Nokia E71 Best Mobile Game: Tetris Pop Best Music Phone: Samsung F400 Best Customer Service: Virgin Mobile Most Stylish Phone: LG Secret KF750 Best High Street Retailer: 02 Stores Best Mobile Sat Nav: HTC Touch Cruise Best Online Retailer: Virgin Mobile Readers' Dream Phone: Apple iPhone Manufacturer of the Year: Samsung Mobile
The joint venture of UK mobile operators T-Mobile and 3 has signed a deal with BT Wholesale to provide high-speed links between their base stations, giving the business arm of BT a welcome boost with a contract worth several hundred million pounds.
The five-year deal with Mobile Broadband Network highlights the need for mobile operators to shore up the speed of data transmission as mobile broadband becomes widely used by customers.
BT Wholesale signed similar five-year deals with rival operators O2 in May and Vodafone in April, leaving only Orange of the big UK mobile operators without a similar arrangement.
Emin Gurdenli, technology director at T-Mobile UK, said: "This agreement with BT will make sure backhaul [the backbone connections of the network] is not a constraint now or in the future at a time when T-Mobile is experiencing strong growth in mobile broadband and other mobile data services."
Mobile broadband is increasing in popularity because of devices such as Apple's iPhone, as well as the planned launches of smartphones from Nokia and Sony Ericsson, and Google's G1.
The device, weighing around 1kg and featuring an 8.9 inch display, is being sold with built-in mobile broadband, exclusively through Vodafone stores and online.
The starter plan is a 1GB deal at £25 per month on a 24 month contract - competing directly with the Orange Asus Eee PC package. Those who are slighly more data hungry might prefer the 3GB plan - again on a 24 month contract - for £30 per month.
The long-awaited entry of Virgin Mobile into the mobile broadband market has finally arrived.
According to Virgin, their new service offers speeds of up to 3.6Mbps (depending signal strength), is available on an 18-month contract and comes with 3GB of data every month. The ISP claims this is sufficient to send 2,000 plain text emails as well as surf the web for 100 hours and make 100 two-minute downloads every month.
Priced at £15 per month, subscribers will receive a free USB modem that can be plugged into a laptop and uses the mobile phone network to provide access to the web. Each further GB of data transfer costs £15.
"The launch of our mobile broadband product means UK consumers can now get all of their broadband needs from the UK's leading broadband expert", said Neil Berkett, Virgin Media CEO.
The ISP is also offering the first three months free, to any XL home customers that sign up to the Mobile Broadband service.
PAYG Mobile Broadband - the perfect Christmas gift!
Well, we've seen Christmas decorations in the shops already...
Every year we see a new 'must have' Christmas gift emerge; previous hits have ranged from iPods to Goats!
Well, this Christmas, there's little doubt that Pay As You Go 3G Mobile Broadband dongles will be up there as one of the most popular - and best value - gifts of the Christmas season. We confidently predict that PAYG Mobile Broadband will be particularly popular with parents who have teenage kids. A Chritmas gift of a mobile broadband pay as you go dongle is the ideal stocking filler for your kids. If they've been lucky enough to get a laptop, netbook or notebook PC, then a PAYG mobile broadband dongle is a great add-on.
In the same way as mobile phones gave teenagers communication independance, so mobile broadband dongles will give them broadband independance. You may not have landline broadband at home and your children have been pesterring you to get it, or you may simply want to separate their broadband consumption from yours; well a pay as you go mobile broadband package is the definitely the answer for you.
Telcos, IT companies unite to promote mobile broadband
LONDON (Reuters) - A group of 16 leading telecoms and IT companies is uniting to promote mobile broadband in a marketing initiative worth more than $1 billion over the next year under the auspices of the GSM Association.
The companies - which include Vodafone, Microsoft and Asustek - aim to make it simpler for consumers to identify laptops that have built-in access to the Internet via high-speed, next-generation HSPA and LTE networks, by applying a mobile broadband mark.
The mark is also backed by a US$1 billion marketing budget, to be spent in the next year. The mark, which looks like a stylized cloud or bird, will be on laptops in time for the holiday shopping season.
According to research commissioned by the GSMA and Microsoft and carried out by Pyramid Research, there is demand for $50 billion worth of such notebooks this year.
"We definitely expect to see several hundred thousand in the shops by Christmas time," Mike O'Hara, the GSMA's chief marketing officer, told Reuters by telephone.
The group said the move also could pave the way to connect devices from MP3 music players to refrigerators and cars to the Internet in future.
The partners will label laptop computers that meet their standards for mobile broadband access with a new service mark that identifies laptops ready for mobile broadband connection "out of the box."
Many in the telecoms and computer industries believe that most people in the world will have their first and perhaps only experience of the Internet via a mobile device.
"While there will always be a place for WiFi connectivity, the great benefit of mobile broadband might be that it liberates the user from the spatial tyranny of the so-called 'hotspot,'" Shiv K. Bakhshi, director of mobility research at IT research firm IDC, said in a GSMA statement released on Tuesday.
The other partners in the initiative are 3, a unit of Hutchison Whampoa Ltd, Dell, ECS, Ericsson, Gemalto, Lenovo, Orange, a unit of France Telecom SA, Qualcomm, Telefonica Europe, T-Mobile and Toshiba.
We believe that Pay As You Go mobile broadband will be a popular Christmas gift choice this yesr - check out the latest PAYG deals.
3 Mobile announced today that it has dropped the price of it's Pay As You Go dongles by £10 accross the range.
This means that you can now get mobile broadband for a £50 outlay - including 1GB of data - with no contract or ongoing commitment.
This is undoubtedly a strategic a manoever in advance of the widely anticipated Christmas rush for mobile broadband. And a shrewd move it is; placing 3 Mobile PAYG at the forefront of this competative market in terms of pricepoint.
Almost half of U.K. users accessing the Internet away from home or work prefer mobile broadband networks, according to a survey by Point Topic. Last year Wi-Fi hotspots held the lead.
Forty-seven percent of surveyed users now choose mobile networks to access the Internet, compared to 42 percent who still use Wi-Fi hotspots. A year earlier the ratio was 40 percent to 30 percent in favor of Wi-Fi, according to Point Topic.
The combination of heavy marketing and lower costs has worked in favour of mobile broadband, according to Oliver Johnson, CEO at Point Topic.
He sees the operator price war continuing, with lower monthly rates, and a growing market share for mobile networks as a result. "In 12 to 24 months I think we'll see a 60:40 split," said Johnson.
There is more good news for mobile operators. Only about 10 percent of surveyed users plan to switch operator in the next six months, although that may in part be explained by long contracts that often are required for subscribers.
But the low churn is not true for everyone. Vodafone and Orange have greater customer turnover than competitors.
The survey also shows that 26 percent of the mobile network users are with O2. Orange and Vodafone each take about 20 percent of the market. They are followed by T-Mobile and 3 Mobile, at 14 percent and 12 percent, respectively.
If Wi-Fi operators want to see their share grow they have to work on building better and more well-known brands, according to Johnson. More consolidation would also be good for the market, he said.
But in the end accessing the Internet via mobile networks or Wi-Fi hotspots might be a moot point, as the two technologies finally converge, with mobile broadband users defaulting to Wi-Fi where it's available. "Operators just want users to stay on their network," said Johnson.
Managing director of Virgin Mobile, Graeme Oxby, told Mobile News a renewed agreement with Virgin Mobile's MVNO host network, T-Mobile, will allow it to produce its own mobile broadband proposition.
Oxby said the MVNO, which in July reached half a million contract customers, would push the new offering as part of a "complete suite" of services, alongside Virgin Media's existing fixed-line offerings.
He said: "It's been quite difficult to do much about mobile broadband; the new agreement changes that. It's a large part of our strategy for next year; joining mobile broadband to fixed broadband to complete our suite of services. There will be quite a lot of development now the fundamentals are in place.
"We said we would do something around this in Q4, but we have no specific details yet. It's exciting because it glues together all our offerings quite nicely."
T-Mobile launches flexible mobile broadband packages
T-Mobile is now offering mobile broadband with no monthly contract from just £2 per day.
The new Mobile Broadband USB Stick 110 costs £49.99, which is in keeping with similar offers from Three and Vodafone. This device can also be used as a memory stick by adding a microSD card (up to 8GB).
It costs £2 per day, £10 for 7 days and £20 for 30 days usage. There is of course a 3GB fair use policy, but T-Mobile says it doesn't penalise users who may go over the limit like other mobile broadband providers. The credit for mobile broadband can be topped up directly using the laptop on which its used.
Richard Warmsley, Head of Internet and Entertainment, T-Mobile UK, commented: "We've seen massive demand for mobile broadband from a range of people, so we're creating ways for customers to only pay for days they actually need.
"We have removed all complexity from the mobile broadband story, giving customers the confidence to simply pick it up off the shelf and start using it. Mobile broadband has hit the mainstream and we have made it simple for anyone to buy, use and understand."
Most of the tech-savvy buying public are aware of the recent, and likely ongoing, release of laptop-inclusive mobile broadband deals from the likes of Orange, 3 Mobile and T Mobile. We've featured several articles on this blog on the subject and there's little doubt that thousands of happy customers have taken advantage of the deals.
But just how much do these 'free' laptops actually cost you, the consumer?
Well, in this article for the first time, we compare three of the most popular direct laptop-inclusive mobile broadband deals with their equivalent dongle-only tariffs to give you a true picture of the value for money you're getting.
Laptop-inclusive 24-month plans:
Dongle-only equivalent plans: *Note that Orange is a special case because its dongle-only plan is only an 18month contract.
What's immediately apparent from the tables above is that the laptops offered in these plans are not, in any way, 'free'; you pay for them in full. However, this is perhaps to be expected, after all, nothing in life is truly free!
So, you obviously do cover the laptop cost over the contract period but, the payments are spread. The premium you pay for this privilege is £31 for the Orange and 3 Mobile plans whilst for T-Mobile it's £25 over the contract term. These premiums equate to around 5%, 4% and 3.5% interest respectively on the total contract cost; not quite interest free, but competitive nonetheless.
In our view, if you're in the market for a new laptop and need mobile broadband, then this may be a great way to spread the cost. In two years time, when your contract is up, simply pick up another laptop-inclusive deal. The chances are the monthly payment will be lower by then and the laptop specification will almost certainly be better.
Orange offers new connect laptop range for business
Orange today launches its new mobile broadband and laptop offer targeted specifically at the business market. Small and medium business customers can now sign up to a new Orange Business Everywhere mobile broadband package and come away with a laptop as well.
The three new Business Everywhere with Laptop bundles each include an unlimited data allowance and a whopping 500 WiFi minutes per month, which can be used at over 10,000 UK hotspots from BT Openzone and The Cloud. On top of this, customers will receive a business-spec HP laptop with Microsoft Windows Vista Business.
Depending on the package chosen, the laptop will come either embedded with an Orange SIM or with an Option ICON 225 USB dongle, meaning customers can get online instantly without the need for a fixed line internet connection. The new packages range from £35 - £45 per month for a 24 month contract, with the price varying according to the choice of laptop.
Paul Tollet, Vice President Business, Orange UK said: "In the current economic climate, businesses are demanding the capability to work flexibly at a reasonable price. Our Business Everywhere with Laptop gives customers all the tools they need to do their jobs in the way that they want - a business grade HP laptop, unlimited UK data access and inclusive WiFi minutes. Businesses can literally be up and running the moment they open the box. This is another fantastic example of Orange listening to its customers and providing solutions to meet their needs".
Crazy Christmas for laptop-inclusive mobile broadband!
Laptop manufacturers are putting massive emphasis on the mobile sales channel to boost sales of notebooks this Christmas.
LG mobile has also announced its first foray into notebooks with the Netbook X110, released via its mobile arm rather than its electronics segment. There will be two versions of the X110, which has 1GB of RAM and an 80GB storage capacity. It will be available exclusively via Phones 4U until the end of the year, before it is made available through conventional PC channels.
"Laptops are going to be big this Christmas," said LG Mobile UK sales and marketing director John Barton. "We know people want to be able to access the internet in its entirety, wherever they are. Now we're allowing them to do just that from a feature-rich device with all the styling people have come to expect from LG."
Laptop manufacturer Asus has included notebooks in its product line for the first time this year and expects to shift 400,000 units in the three months to Christmas.
"The [mobile broadband] deals have created a gap in the market – 96 per cent of the people who buy these deals have at least one PC or laptop and buy this one as a second," said an Asus spokeswoman.
HP head of telco channel Graeme Badenoch: "It's a very important part of the market for us. The bundling of PCs with broadband is definitely here to stay and embedded SIM cards are going to significantly increase from now."
Elonex said its 'One' laptop, launched in February, said sales via its exclusive retail partner Carphone Warehouse had gone "crazy".
So, the message from us at Mobile Broadband Info is; get your laptop-inclusive mobile broadband deal quick before stock runs out in the run up to Christmas.
PC World has riled Carphone Warehouse by running a provocative advert in The Sun over the weekend comparing its laptop deal with Carphone’s laptop deal.
Carphone is now readying itself for a battle with the computer retailer, and is even believed to be considering lodging a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority.
DSG, PC World's parent company, ran a direct comparison between Carphone’s mini laptop, the ‘Webbook’ and PC World’s version, the Advent 4211. Carphone offers its free Webbook in a mobile broadband deal with Orange, while PC World has a similar deal in place with Vodafone.
The advert made various comparisons between the two laptops inclusing memory and operating system and the fact that PC World customers pay £20 per month, and customers signing up to the Webbook pay £25 per month. However, there are numerous aspects to consider such as the contract length and retail value of the PC when making a comparison of laptop-inclusive mobile broadband deals such as these.
Carphone is also believed to be planning an advertising fightback in response to the PC World campaign, by trying to claim the territory as the first place consumers think of when buying a laptop or broadband deal.
But, should you opt for a 3G-embedded notebooks at all?
In our view, the simple fact of the matter is that (for now) it makes no economic sense to include a 3G module and antenna in a PC unless it's definitely going to be used for a mobile subscription. Otherwise it's just a costly lump of extra electronics - not ideal for consumer or retailer - which would hurt the competitiveness of the PC in the marketplace.
At the top end of the market laptop, 3G might start to become a standard feature in the not too distant future, but if you're trying to sell a £200 low-end netbook with £25 worth of unused electronics inside, it won't make your gross margin look very pretty.
Add to this the fact that you can't then use your 3G SIM in another PC, then you're effectively limiting yourself to mobile broadband access on your netbook. One of the great selling points of mobile broadband via a dongle is that you can use it on any PC.
For us it's a no-brainer at the moment...dongle every time!
The growth of mobile broadband is set to have an impact on the retail sector, according to new research from BT.
The telecommunications company said that as more people opt for mobile broadband services, retailers will need to change the way they offer their products to consumers in line with the way people are getting online.
BT's study revealed that in the last three months and estimated 45 per cent of mobile broadband users have used their devices to hunt down goods or services online and one in three claimed this had helped make "well-informed buying decisions".
"Broadband on the move is bringing about a change in consumer behaviour," said BT Futurologist Ian Neild. "Consumers can now do the things they would normally do at home when they are out and about. The ease with which they can go online to sites like Pricerunner or TripAdvisor to inform their buying decisions puts added pressure on high-street retailers to offer the best prices and the product ranges that people want." He continued, "The days of the internet being something for the home are over. For a growing number of savvy shoppers, the online and in-store worlds have now merged,".
Vodafone has announced an exclusive agreement with laptop manufacturer Dell to range its new Inspiron Mini 9 ultra-mobile device.
The device, weighing just 1.035kg and featuring an 8.9 inch display, will be sold with built-in mobile broadband, exclusively through Vodafone stores and online, and directly from Dell, in key European markets.
Vodafone director of PC connectivity Andrew Sangster said: "The recent acceleration in the take up of mobile broadband has demonstrated just how hungry consumers are for Internet access. Building on our long relationship with Dell, the availability of the Inspiron Mini 9 will further enhance what a customer can achieve with mobile broadband whilst on the move. Today's announcement marks the next step in the evolution of mobile broadband services bringing mobile broadband into the hands of many more customers."
Dell Europe vice president and general manager for consumer Michael Lombardo said: "Technology has become an essential part of how people connect with one another - whether it's surfing the web, chatting with friends, keeping updated on the latest news, sharing photos or social networking. Dell is committed to providing consumers with technology that allows them to connect any place, any time with mobile broadband."
Details of country availability and pricing will be made available in coming weeks.
T-Mobile opens largest Wi-Fi hotspot in Heathrow's Terminal 5
T-Mobile UK has launched its largest Wi-Fi hotpsot covering the interior of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. The new Heathrow Terminal 5 Wi-Fi HotSpot is T-Mobile's largest in the UK, spanning the equivalent of approximately 50 football pitches. The Wi-Fi service is also available through T-Mobile at the other Heathrow Terminals.
For those passengers who are not customers of T-Mobile or other participating providers, the Terminal 5 HotSpot service is priced at £5 for one hour's access, or £10 for 24 hours, payable by credit card. There is also a monthly subscription service for regular users at £20 per month.
"T-Mobile is committed to meet the increasing demand for people on the move to be able to connect to the internet when and where they need to – whether for business or pleasure," comments Richard Warmsley, Head of Internet on the Move, T-Mobile UK. "One in four new contract customers are signing up for our mobile broadband service and user numbers are set to quadruple in 2008. It's clear this trend is set to continue and customers now expect to be able to hook up to the internet anywhere and at any time, particularly at major transport hubs like Terminal 5."
