With mobile Internet usage skyrocketing, Berg Insight analysts expect an increasing number of people will replace their fixed PC connections with mobile broadband solutions. The firm reports that HSPA/LTE accounted for 17.3% of all broadband connections in Europe toward the end of last year.
The number of HSPA/LTE-connected PCs grew to 25 million during 2009, a 71% increase on-year, and Berg believes the adoption rate of mobile broadband in PCs will continue at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.6% to 81 million by 2015.
Meanwhile, the North American market is evolving at a slower pace, with mobile broadband accounting for 7.1% of the total number of connections. The region should grow at a CAGR of 34.8% to 34 million subscribers over the next five years.
That figure is bound to rise as the number notebooks increasingly feature embedded mobile broadband connectivity. Around 5% of notebooks in Europe and North America were WWAN-equipped last year, and that's predicted to reach 45% in five years.
Austria is said to be the most advanced mobile broadband market, with a 15% penetration. Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Ireland and Portugal aren't far behind with penetration rates above 10%, while Belgium, Netherlands, and Greece are under 3%.