Mobile broadband in heavy demand, says Ofcom

A recent Ofcom communications report shows that demand for mobile broadband services has been very strong in the last few months.

According to the report, sales of mobile broadband USB dongles and data cards reached 133,000 in June alone.   Sales have grown by an average of 18 percent each month since February 2008.  The mobile broadband dongle or data card is the device that provides Internet access when it is plugged into a laptop or PC.

Although popular with mobile workers, it seems home users are also enjoying the benefits of this type of Internet access.  A lot of users are actually buying mobile broadband in addition to, or as an alternative to a fixed-line broadband connection.

The Ofcom report also showed that people are continuing to spend more time online as well as using mobile and landline phones.   Broadband penetration now stands at 58 percent of households, with average speeds now 5.9Mbps at the end of the first quarter of 2008, compared to 3.6Mbps in December 2006.

There is also better value for money on comms services due to falling prices for broadband.  There is also a good range of bundle offers from providers that include broadband, phoneline and TV packages.

See the full report here.