Communications giant T-Mobile has reported an increase in the number of mobile broadband customers for the first quarter of the year

Mobile broadband has really taken off over recent months, with more and more consumers wanting to enjoy the convenience, ease, and flexibility that mobile broadband offers compared to fixed broadband. The market for mobile broadband has become increasingly competitive in a relative short period of time, and operators are vying for the custom of savvy broadband users that want to be able to enjoy broadband Internet access even whilst on the go.

The communications giant, T-Mobile, has reported a significant rise in the number of mobile broadband customers for the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, with a quarter of new customers with the operator taking on dongles, according to a recently released report from the provider.

During the first three months of this year the number of mobile broadband customers with the provider quadrupled compared to the first three months of 2007. According to the figures there was an increase in both contract and pre-pay users, with numbers rising by around four hundred thousand from 16.7 million in the first quarter of last year to 17.1 million in the first quarter of this year.

An official from T-Mobile said: ‘In a market which remains highly competitive, we have not chased growth at any cost but have focused on attracting quality customers and building customer satisfaction through continued innovation and superior value. It is very noticeable that growth in mobile broadband usage is accelerating.’

Whilst contract and prepay user levels rose compare to the first three months of last year, figures show that the provider’s overall customer base fell by around 187,000 in the first three months of this year compared to the last three months of 2007.