Mobile broadband set to replace wi-fi hotspots

The latest report from Point Topic indicates that HSPA based mobile broadband products have been gaining so much popularity that so many internet users on the move prefer mobile internet access to the wi-fi hotspots. Although, wi-fi hotspots provide broadband internet access to the people who are away from home or office, HSPA based mobile broadband services offer better wireless internet access as the mobile broadband network providers have extended coverage in many areas in the UK.

According to the survey, the mobile phone broadband  providers in the UK have nearly half (47 %) of the internet users on the move while only 42 percent of them use Wi-fi hotspots. Among the mobile broadband internet providers, O2 has a market share of 26 percent while Orange and Vodafone have one-fifths of UK broadband customers each. T-Mobile has 14 % while Three mobile internet provider has 12 % of the market share.

Tim Johnson, the Chief Analyst at Point Topic said:
“O2 isn’t the first choice of the new wave users who’ve got dongles or data cards to connect to the network. Vodafone is top in dongle-user market share with 24% of respondents. O2 comes in at 23% followed by Orange, T-Mobile and 3.”

He has further commented:
“There are operators that are losing out. Vodafone and Orange both have a larger share of churners relative to their market share. 22% of respondents who churned had been with Vodafone and 24% with Orange,”
The report also shows that wi-fi networks offer cheaper option to send and receive data over the internet. However, the wi-fi operators have not allowed the users to benefit from this technological advantage, the report further points out.