Shipments of mobile devices with wireless broadband connections are expected to approach 50 million by 2012, according to market watcher ABI Research.
“In the near term, connected portable devices will rely more on 3G cellular connections,” said principal analyst Philip Solis.
“However," said Solis, "the 3G market is fragmented, different carriers are using different frequencies in different regions of the world. Such fragmentation represents a significant challenge. In addition, such devices must compete against smartphones that increasingly include similar functions.”
The first few products have already appeared in South Korea. The first device of this class, offering embedded HSDPA, is Samsung’s VLUU i70 digital camera which also receives T-DMB television, plays MP3s and video, and allows the user to send or download photos and videos.
But according to Solis, in the longer-term it is WiMAX which has more potential for wireless broadband than 3G-based connections “It’s an IP-based network with simpler architecture and better connection to the Internet. Sprint, with its commitment to WiMAX, will promote such devices heavily, in the process helping US markets keep up with Korea and Japan,” said Solis.
For more see ABI Research's study “Mobile Broadband-Enabled Consumer Electronics”