Growth Of Mobile Broadband Subscribers Slides
from the what-can-$60-per-month-buy-you? dept
Mobile operators around the world have been pushing the sales of data modems and laptop dongles in a bid to grow their subscriber figures and revenues, and they've largely been successful. But Comscore says that growth in data-modem subscriptions in the US slowed significantly in the fourth quarter, and it puts the blame on cutbacks in discretionary spending. That's one likely explanation, but another is that the market for people who want to spend $60 per month on mobile broadband is pretty much tapped out. The Comscore report says that mobile data users didn't add to their overall internet usage, but rather just shifted some of their time from fixed to mobile connections, making the mobile service one of convenience. When that convenience costs more than most home broadband connections, and can generally deliver lower speeds, it doesn't seem particularly surprising that user growth doesn't continue to skyrocket.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: mobile broadband, subscribers
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As soon as my last Verizon contract is up, I'm switching over to T-Mobile for my mobile phone service. I've been a happy data-only T-Mobile subscriber for many years. One reason is because T-Mobile's data devices/smart phones were always customizable blank slates that could be tweaked to perfection and individual tastes.
I hate the G1 and have gone back to using my last T-Mobile data device. However, that's another plus for T-Mobile. They don't care if you stick the sim card up your butt looking for the ultimate wi-fi signal, so long as you pay your bill. I've been able to test-drive data devices that I've bought on Ebay just by dropping my SIM card into the devices. That was how I found out I wasn't a Blackberry person, before I plunked down serious money on a brand-new one. You can't do that with Verizon, Sprint, Nextel or AT*T.
With companies like Verizon, there is no SIM card, and you are stuck with what is on the data plate they serve you. If you want a better phone or data device, you have to buy it directly from them. They're losing tech-savvy and younger customers who are accustomed to making things work the way they want, instead of being spoon-fed content by a data provider.
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Re: Jasime
Not true with AT&T, you can use whatever sim-driven device you want. I'm using an HTC Advantage which isn't sold or serviced by AT&T. Where I live cellular and sat are the only options and so I share my cell connection with my home computers via a beta 0.91 (free) version of wmwifirouter.
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All the carriers are trying to block p2p, voip, tethering to laptops, streaming videos, etc. It's just a money grab that let's them collect high fees without expanding infrastructure to support the growth of the market.
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Why buy a data modem specifically?
T-mo and my Blackberry get me by when I am on the road. I can tether via USB or bluetooth.
That said, I find locating a (usually free) WiFi access point is not all that hard and I *rarely* ever tether.
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Mobile broadband
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Mobile broadband
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