However, tablets are expected emerge as an important access device, with about quarter of respondents deeming tablets as key to driving traffic growth. McCormick said this will be welcome news to device makers that are pouring millions of dollars into producing tablets as the "next big thing."
Similar to last year, no clear key differentiator emerged for taking mobile broadband to the consumer market. Price made the most noticeable change from the 2010 survey. Just 14% of those surveyed put price as most important, compared to 20% just a year ago and 29% in 2009 (see chart 3). This points to a leveling of offerings brought on by increased competition in almost all markets.
Coverage once again ranked top (28% ?down 3 percentage points from a year ago). As operators in the region have upgraded their networks, coverage is clearly becoming less of an issue. Quality of service was unchanged from a year ago, with almost a quarter of respondents saying it continues to be a major differentiator.
Speed, which dropped sharply in importance last year (from 26% to 19%) rebounded slightly, with 22% of respondents this year ranking it as the most significant differentiator for mobile broadband services, as operators throughout Asia Pacific increasingly promote peak data rates as they move from HSPA networks to HSPA+.
Apps and content also gained ground, with 11% indicating it was a key differentiator, compared to just under 4% in 2010 (but down from 16% in 2009). Seems users are seeing more value in operators' value-added services.
Asked what impact mobile broadband will have on fixed broadband, almost three-quarters felt it would have a some or significant impact with substitution (see chart 4).
Some 40% of respondents believe that mobile broadband will have a significant impact. Just 14% thought there would be no impact and that mobile broadband would only complement fixed broadband. Another 6% said mobile would have a large impact in all but small segments.
Those results are not unexpected. "Ovum believes that increasingly some customer segments will cut the cord with their fixed-service provider as mobile broadband services become even more competitively priced. This segment, for instance, will likely include low-income households, such as renters and students," McCormick said.