Carriers Will Need Mobile Broadband Services to Compete in Emerging Markets, Finds Pyramid Research

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts - Mobile broadband services will become necessary to remain competitive in
emerging markets and will increasingly be used as a substitute for fixed
broadband, according to the latest report by Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com),
the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network
(www.lightreading.com).

“Mobile Broadband Computing Services: Complement or Substitute for Fixed
Broadband” examines mobile broadband services enabled by 3G and WiMax
networks on a global, regional, and market-by-market basis. Focusing on
service plans offered for computing devices, this 111-page report assesses
the positioning of mobile broadband computing relative to fixed broadband
alternatives. Our tested framework promises to help identify the most
efficient strategy for building revenue and sustaining market share in both
competitive developed markets and low-income emerging environments. We also
provide a five-year outlook on mobile broadband computing trends, including
subscriber numbers, penetration levels, and revenue expectations on a market,
regional, and global basis. Download an excerpt of this report here:
www.pyr.com/downloads.htm?id=1&sc=PR032609_MBC

Pyramid expects fixed broadband to grow at a CAGR of 9 percent
from 2008 to 2014, whereas mobile broadband computing will grow about three
times as fast, totaling US$69 billion by 2014 - 30 percent the size of fixed
broadband, notes Daniel Locke, Senior Analyst at Pyramid Research and
co-author of the report. “In the medium term, developed markets, such as
North America, will rake in the most revenue from mobile computing services,
considering that operators have earmarked significant investments for HSPA+,
WiMax, and LTE networks,” he says. “In mature markets, mobile broadband
networks can complement the fixed networks to ensure the best, ubiquitous
connectivity, but more importantly, they can be the solution to the digital
divide.

“In contrast, mobile broadband networks promise a wider reach
and, thus, a larger addressable market in emerging markets, enabling mobile
broadband access services to effectively compete with fixed broadband,” Locke
notes. “In many emerging markets, especially India, Africa, and the Middle
East, HSPA and WiMax networks deliver geographic coverage that will not be
matched by wireline infrastructure in the foreseeable future. The lack of
coverage in emerging markets and rural areas of developed markets also puts
3G and WiMax as obvious choices for receiving broadband service.”

Although service pricing remains a barrier to adoption, Pyramid
expects declining prices and a large variety of prepaid plans to boost
take-up over time in emerging markets. Furthermore, in developed markets, 4G
technologies, such as LTE and 802.16m, will eventually support the capacity
to provide high-bandwidth applications that will give fixed broadband
customers enough reason to switch to mobile service.

“Mobile Broadband Computing Services: Complement or Substitute for Fixed
Broadband” is part of Pyramid’s research report series. A blend of primary
research and qualitative analysis, Pyramid’s research reports offer
comprehensive coverage of the fixed and mobile communications space and
enable those in the communications industry to stay ahead of changing market
dynamics.

Download an excerpt of this report here:
www.pyr.com/downloads.htm?id=1&sc=PR032609_MBC

“Mobile Broadband Computing Services: Complement or Substitute for Fixed
Broadband” is priced at US$2,490 and can be purchased online here:
www.pyramidresearch.com/store/RPMOBILEBROADBAND0903.htm?sc=PR032609_MBC
or through Dave Williams via email at dave.williams@pyr.com or telephone at
+1-858-485-8870.

About Pyramid Research

Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com) offers practical solutions to the complex
demands our clients face in the telecommunications, media, and technology
industries. Our analysis is uniquely positioned at the intersection of
emerging markets, emerging technologies, and emerging business models,
powered by the bottom-up methodology of our market forecasts for over 100
countries - a distinction that has remained unmatched for more than 25 years.
As the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network,
Pyramid Research works with Heavy Reading, providing the communications
industry’s most comprehensive market data, trusted research, and insightful
technology analysis.

About Light Reading

Founded in 2000, Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) is the leading
online media, research, and focused event company serving the US$3 trillion
worldwide communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for
technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the
media sector in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading’s
research arms, Heavy Reading and Pyramid Research, provide the most
comprehensive communications research, market data, and technology analysis
in close to 100 markets around the world. Light Reading produces nearly 20
targeted communications events including TelcoTV, Ethernet Expo New York and
Ethernet Expo London, The Tower Summit @ CTIA, and Optical Expo, as well as
focused one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives.
Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005 and
operates as a unit of TechWeb.

About TechWeb

TechWeb (techweb.com/aboutus), the global leader in business
technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of
technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most
respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today,
more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in
our communities created around our global face-to-face events, Interop, Web
2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network,
Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and
The Financial Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning
InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, and Wall Street &
Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services including
next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, research, and
analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global
provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a
market capitalization of more than US$2.5 billion.

*13.3 million business decision-makers: based on number of monthly
connections

About United Business Media Limited

UBM (UBM.L) focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information
distribution, targeting and monitoring; and, the development and monetization
of B2B communities and markets. UBM’s businesses inform markets and serve
professional commercial communities - from doctors to game developers, from
journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists - with integrated
events, online, print and business information products. Our 6,500 staff in
more than 30 countries are organized into specialist teams that serve these
communities, bringing buyers and sellers together, helping them to do
business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more
information, go to www.unitedbusinessmedia.com.

Press contact:
Jennifer Baker
+1-617-871-1910
jbaker@pyr.com

Source: Pyramid Research

Jennifer Baker, +1-617-871-1910, jbaker at pyr.com