154% leap for mobile broadband

5th March 2008

Last year saw the US mobile broadband market grow by more than 150 per cent, new figures suggest.

The latest report from comScore indicates that the number of American computers accessing the web via mobile broadband leapt by 154 per cent during 2007.

According to the digital world analyst, demand for such services is still driven by "need" rather than "want", with the proportion of the US population accessing mobile broadband standing at one per cent despite the substantial growth.

About 59 per cent of computers that have access to mobile broadband are work-based terminals compared to the 41 per cent that are based in the home.

Serge Matta, the company's senior vice-president, claimed that the mobile broadband market is now "poised for significant growth" over the next few years.

He said: "As consumers increasingly demand and depend on portable internet access, the demand for mobile broadband should continue to increase."

The report follows Insight Research's prediction that 39 per cent of the corporate telephone bill at the end of 2008 will represent mobile phone services.