Mobile broadband connections to pass three billion

Datamonitor research brand Ovum has predicted mobile broadband connections will number more than three billion in the coming years.

By 2015, revenues from mobile broadband are predicted to double compared with 2010, while the number of connections is forecasted to grow by more than 100 per cent.

In 2010, there were 899 million mobile broadband connections in use, across netbooks, laptops and tablets - big-screen form factors - and smartphones and internet-enabled feature phones, which are considered to be small-screen formats.

"Total worldwide mobile broadband connections will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 28 per cent, reaching three billion in 2015," Ovum predicts.

In a separate report, Ovum notes that the potential for explosive expansion in mobile data services is confronted by reluctance among some customer groups.

Many people currently use mobile phones only for ringtones, text messaging and downloading new logos, outside of regular calling services, the analyst claims.