There has been quite a bit of noise lately around the efforts of mobile networks to supplant traditional methods of internet connectivity. This is being accomplished through the use of the mobile carrier’s 3G networks or mobile broadband services as they are also called. Indeed, the numbers are impressive. In just one year adoption of mobile broadband has gone from 11 million users to 50 million users. We have watched this trend very closely at Next2Friends as several of our services greatly benefit from better mobile networks. But what is particularly interesting as of late is not just the move of mobile carriers to being internet providers but the evolution of the hardware that will facilitate that move.
Much has been made of Dell’s new Inspiron Mini 9. You can see a whole list of features here. But the interesting part is the fact that there appears to be a space for a 3G card. And this is just the latest in a long line of computers fitted with 3G connectivity. Computers by Fujitsu Siemens and Lenovo come to mind. And partnerships between mobile networks and computer manufacturers seem to be happening all over the place. Add to that the fact that Europe has seen double digit growth in USB 3G dongles.
And peripherals to this sea change have also begun to surface. This is T-Mobile’s 3G Broadband Sharing Station. It allows multiple users to access a 3G data connection.
So is the future of the internet wireless broadband? There are some interesting doubters. Principle among them is Dean Bubley, author of the Disruptive Analysis blog. He argues several points but in general thinks that the trajectory of embedded 3G cards in computers will not follow the same route as WiFi.
Either way, there is little doubt that the way we all connect to the internet will only grow in the future.
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October 8th, 2008 at 4:14 am
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