While the mobile broadband card market (including standard and embedded cards) was soft overall in Q4 2009, sales are up 55% in 2009 compared to 2008, at $6.4 billion worldwide, driven in large part by increasing adoption of high-speed packet access (HSPA).
According to Infonetics, the effects of the recession continue to linger, with fewer than usual USB dongles and netbooks delivered at the end of 2009, making the normally seasonally-strong fourth quarter softer than expected for the mobile broadband device market. However, fundamental drivers remain strong and the market will continue to gather momentum, driven by HSPA, and Infonetics expects to see fewer growth blips in the future.
