Wanted - 70 million mobile broadband enabled laptops

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 14 November 2007 05:46

IT Industry - Deals

The global trade association for the mobile industry, the GSM Association (GSMA), and Microsoft say there is a market opportunity for 70 million mobile broadband-capable notebook PCs, if manufacturers can come up with the right configurations in the $US500-$US1000 range, and they have launched a competition to see who can deliver. "Manufacturers have yet to deliver the right mobile broadband PCs - bundled with pre-configured mobile connectivity - to appeal to mass market PC buyers...With the right form factor, price and 'out-of-the-box' connectivity, the research has unearthed substantial demand for mobile broadband embedded notebooks that is not yet being met," said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSMA.

Their conclusions come from a study, undertaken by Pyramid Research, that comprised more than 12,000 consumer interviews across 13 countries, with input from notebook manufacturers, component companies and chip set suppliers as well as more than 200 field trials. It identified a gap of potentially 46.5 million units between its forecast demand and recent industry analyst forecasts. The full study is available at: http://www.gsmworld.com .

Will Poole, corporate vice president of the Unlimited Potential Group at Microsoft, said: "By quantifying and characterising PC market demand, it is our hope that mobile operators and OEMs will collaborate to introduce compelling and affordable notebooks with innovative new services. We believe that people everywhere, in both developed and emerging segments, could benefit from access to the Internet through mobile broadband on a wider range of notebook PCs."

The GSMA and many of its largest operator members are launching a competition to identify devices and manufacturers able to serve the untapped market. Notebook manufacturers and OEMs. However, the winner might be facing tough competition from the smartphone vendors.