3G laptops 'outselling dongles'

Mobile
broadband-ready laptops are proving popular with consumers, despite a recent report that they would not be, according to a comparison website.

Top 10 Broadband cited figures from mobile operators Orange and Vodafone which showed that deals with the laptops were outselling dongle packages by three to two.

Disruptive Analysis had predicted earlier in the month that dongles would continue to be the device of choice for people using broadband on the move, with "practical and business-model limitations" cited as reasons for their poor early growth.

But Top 10 marketing manager Jessica McArdle countered this analysis. She said: "Demand for 3G-embedded laptop broadband deals has rocketed since the first consumer-targeted offer was launched in September 2008.

"Given how fast they are selling, we are baffled by these recent projections which seem to be speculative and have no grounding in actual broadband product sales."

The author of the Disruptive Report, Dean Bubley, predicted that the laptops would be used by 30 per cent of mobilebroadband subscribers in three years time, versus 58 per cent who would use dongles.

However, he did say that by 2014 the laptops would be far more popular.