3G and broadband nearly neck-and-neck by 2010

All change for the operators

By the end of the decade 3G and broadband users will both be edging towards the half a billion mark, research has discovered.

A report from analyst house Informa Telecoms and Media predicts that 490 million individuals will be using broadband by 2010, while research from fellow analysts Juniper Research says there will be 300 million 3G users by the end of the decade.

Currently, Informa reports, there are some 190 million broadband users, with Finland, Japan, Korea and Sweden expected to top the league of highest fat-pipe penetration in 2010 at more than 30 per cent.

Emerging markets, such as India, are likely to make up the majority of the new additions, with China overtaking the US for broadband users by 2008, although less than 10 per cent of China's population is expected to be using broadband by 2010.

Operators will see their sources of revenue switch from purely selling internet access to providing services over the broadband connection, particularly TV.

In contrast, 3G benefits for operators will come from increased capacity for user numbers and voice traffic, rather than selling any cutting-edge data services, Juniper Research predicts.