Changing to USB could be the making of mobile broadband

Changing from PC card to USB modems was recently reported to be the biggest turning point in the popularity of mobile broadband.

Computer news provider IT Pro has made the suggestion that when mobile broadband providers changed the way in which users could connect to their services from the limited PC cards (used for laptops only) to the more popular USB modem the popularity of the service took off in a way they could never have imagined. The biggest issue before USB modems were implemented was that PC cards were not only expensive devices to buy but were also difficult to use which meant that their only real value was to the business use community.

The change in connection method of accessing the internet using mobile phone signals using dongles was the breakthrough mobile broadband needed to allow it to turn into the increasingly popular market that it is today. “What really changed the game for mobile broadband though was the move to USB.” said IT Pro. “No longer was mobile broadband tied to PC Card slots, they could be attached to pretty much any computer and that included desktop PCs and Macs.”

A recent beneficiary from the massive uptake of mobile broadband was 3 as recent figures have shown that the increase in its customer base from 4.5 million to 4.7 million in the three months leading up to June of this year has been due to its mobile broadband service. And with the current levels of interest in using the internet on the move most mobile broadband operators will not only be looking at similar increases in users but, with the imminent release of new and faster mobile broadband technology, will be expecting even bigger increases in their customer base.