A survey recently carried out by ABI Research in the United States into 1000 consumers� attitudes about cellular modems includes one result that should grab the attention of mobile operators.
Cellular modems enable laptop computers (and increasingly, devices such as netbooks, e-readers, PNDs and even cameras) to access the Internet. Typical cellular modem users currently pay $50-$60/month for mobile data services from national providers. Respondents who don�t currently own cellular modems but are interested in them, however, place a significantly lower value � somewhere between less than $10 and $30/month � on that service.
�Over 47% of US survey respondents had at least some interest in cellular modems and their willingness to pay for mobile data service is at half of current market prices,� notes senior analyst Jeff Orr. �In the US at least, consumers want a mobile data service costing no more than their home broadband.�
Part of the reason for this is that developed telecommunications markets, including the US, are more likely to add a cellular modem in addition to their fixed Internet access rather than as a replacement. Another consideration is that high-speed mobile broadband networks are not ubiquitous: only certain regions and locations (those offering newer 3G or 4G data networks) presently have coverage, but that will improve over time.
While plan cost will inevitably fall, there is a trade-off with the still less-than-perfect capacity of the networks. �Could operators say �we�ll give you mobile broadband performance for $39 a month�?� Orr asks. �Yes; but will they be able to deliver on that promise?�
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