Mobile broadband uptake continues to rocket

The number of people accessing mobile data services around the world is set to pass the 150 million mark by the end of the summer, according to a new report from the GSM Association (GSMA).

Figures from the Wireless Intelligence mobile market database suggest that High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) is the world's dominant mobile broadband technology, and the fastest adopted mobile technology of all time.

"The tremendous success of HSPA demonstrates the enormous ongoing demand for truly mobile broadband access," said Dan Warren, director of technology at the GSMA.

"HSPA's leading position is not just important to the mobile industry; by using a single technology for mobile broadband services globally we avoid the fragmentation that limits its potential to improve the quality of people's lives."

The system is now deployed by more than 300 networks across 127 countries, and there are nearly 1,500 HSPA-enabled devices now available.

Asia Pacific is leading the charge with almost 50 million live connections, and the region should pass the 56 million mark by September. EMEA is rapidly approaching the 50 million mark, however, and should surpass Asia Pacific with almost 60 million by the end of September.

The US currently has almost 32 million HSPA connections, and the number is expected to rise to nearly 37 million by September.

The growth is showing no signs abating, and it is thought that the number of global connections will exceed 200 million by the first quarter of 2010.

The research found that a lot of this adoption is being driven from outside the 'traditional' mobile industry, as consumer electronics, automotive, energy and utility companies start to explore and understand the possibilities of embedding mobile broadband into products.

Furthermore, thanks to programmes like the digital switchover, governments around the world are making the right spectrum available to support mobile broadband services now and in the future.

This combination of factors is helping to drive the next generation of GSM technologies, such as HSPA+ and Long Term Evolution, which should provide better coverage and greater bandwidth to help cope with growing demand.