Mobile Broadband Internet Use Growing Dramatically

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 03/11/08

The number of computers using mobile broadband technology to access the Internet grew by 154 percent in the 4th quarter of 2007 versus the same period in 2006, according to comScore, a research firm. comScore, which measures online behavior, said the total number of computers going online through mobile broadband technology grew to 2.1 million from 854,000.

Mobile broadband employs cellular networks, where users pay subscriptions for access and the connection is made with a PC card, built-in adapter, or connections via a cell-phone or PDA. In 2007, Verizon and Sprint accounted for the majority of the mobile broadband market. AT&T has announced it will increase its coverage in 2008.

Work computers account for 59 percent of the access, the firm reported.

However, total use stands at only about 1 percent of the total Internet population. "It is poised for significant growth over the next few years," said Serge Matta, senior vice president of comScore. "As consumers increasingly demand and depend on portable Internet access, the demand for mobile broadband should continue to increase."