Mobile broadband is quickly gaining traction despite its late entry to the Chinese market, a report by Ericsson ConsumerLab said.
The report also indicates, among other things, that at this early stage of 3G development, the current Chinese mobile broadband users covered in the study regard mobile broadband as a complement to fixed broadband and prefer the two services to be combined in a single package from the same operator/service provider.
''Ericsson is the undisputed global market and technology leader in mobile broadband, which has now entered the China market. I'm very happy to see this report focus on this dynamic and promising market,'' Mats H Olsson, President of Ericsson China & North East Asia, said.
The study has found that, in addition to laptops and netbooks, tablet computers and smartphones are frequently used to access mobile broadband.
Laptops are mostly used at fixed locations for planned and continuous internet access because they offer high data-processing speeds and relatively large amounts of storage. Smartphones are mostly for fragmented, discontinuous and spontaneous usage due to their mobility, which enable users to gain quick access to the internet.
Tablet computers are mostly for planned mobile use, since they offer an improved internet experience compared to smartphones, as well as enhanced mobility and longer battery life.
The study also found that smartphone users are more inclined to opt for mobile broadband, while laptop and tablet users prefer fixed broadband to Wi-Fi.
Mobile broadband users on smartphones spend 70 percent of their time on mobile broadband and 30 percent on Wi-Fi. Mobile broadband users on tablets, meanwhile, spend 49 percent of their time on mobile broadband and 51 percent on a fixed connection or Wi-Fi. Finally, mobile broadband users on laptops spend 54 percent of their time on a fixed connection, 24 percent on mobile broadband and 21 percent on Wi-Fi.
Compared with fixed broadband, mobile broadband traffic is low, as it is used for short time periods for intense bursts of interaction, such as browsing the news, searching for information and instant messaging.
The 2011 Mobile Broadband in China study was conducted during July and August of 2011. More than 2,200 internet users in all Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities in China were interviewed, 1,300 of whom are mobile broadband users. The study aims to understand users' attitudes toward and perception of mobile broadband, how mobile broadband is used today, and drivers and barriers for further mobile broadband adoption.
It also investigates the roles different devices play in accessing the internet and, in particular, focuses on how newly emerged mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones3, are affecting user behaviors and network choices in China.
Source:cn-c114