According to a new research report titled „The Mobile Broadband Connectivity Market“ from the analyst firm Berg Insight, HSPA/LTE accounted for 20.6% of the total number of broadband connections in Europe at the end of 2010. The number of HSPA/LTE mobile broadband subscribers (connected PCs and tablets) grew by 33% year-on-year in 2010 to reach 33.9 million and is forecasted to continue to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.9% to 96 million by 2016. The North American market has so far evolved at a slower pace, with mobile broadband accounting for just 13.2 percent of the total number of connections.

The levels of adoption of mobile broadband vary significantly across Europe. “Austria is the most advanced market with a penetration rate of over 20%, corresponding to 46% of all broadband connections in the country. Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Ireland and Portugal also have penetration rates above 10%. Belgium, Switzerland and Greece have on the other hand penetration rates of less than 3%”, said Lars Kurkinen, Telecom Analyst, Berg Insight. Also the pricing varies across different markets, with subscriptions costing around four times more in the most expensive countries compared to the least expensive ones. The lowest prices can be found in the Baltic countries, Poland and Austria with average monthly prices ranging € 8–11 for a 3 GB bundle at a data rate of at least 3.6 Mbps. The highest prices can be found in Switzerland and Spain (€ 40 per month).

Huawei has established itself as the world’s largest supplier of mobile broadband terminals holding a market share of 49% and has a particularly strong foothold in Europe. ZTE is the second largest vendor with clear margins capturing a market share of 31%. Berg Insight estimates the total global number of shipped external mobile broadband devices in 2010 to 92.7 million, with Europe accounting for 27.4 million units. [www.berginsight.com]