Increasing pressure now being felt by Mobile Broadband networks

By 2012 there will be more than one billion users all over the world using mobile broadband services according to predictions from researchers.

Claims that the current levels of mobile broadband use are already seriously affecting many networks are already being made by a number of European mobile network operators.

Speeds of up to 14.4Mbps have already been announced in the UK by the mobile service provider Vodafone, which will effectively double its current mobile broadband capacity.

Although the upgrade will not be affecting devices the company has advised that realistic peak mobile broadband speeds of 10.8Mbps should be expected when the new service is rolled out throughout the country.

Ofcom, the communications watchdog has advised that there were around three million homes using mobile broadband in the UK by March 2009, with many of these people using mobile broadband dongle to access the internet from anywhere that a signal could be obtained simply by plugged the device into their computers in the same way as a USB memory stick.

A spokesperson for Vodafone UK advised “Dongles really are reaching a critical mass. There has been quite a bit of obsessing about speed by the media, but we have been concentrating on depth of coverage and quality of the network… as it will help us cope with the demands of new users.”

According to a senior analyst at Juniper research, Howard Wilcox young adults are currently the group that mobile broadband services are most popular with.

He advised “There’s a growing number of under 35s living in rented properties, who tend to move around and take their mobile broadband with them. Growth has also been driven by the availability of smartphones. It must be placing a strain on the mobile operators’ networks.”

Source – BBC