Tablets, Mobiles Driving Broadband Growth

A new report finds explosive growth in hand-held tablets drove a 58 percent increase in mobile devices in 2011. According to iSuppli Market Research of California:

"Shipments of mobile broadband devices in 2011 are projected to climb to 157.9 million units, up from 100.1 million units in 2010. Aside from tablets, the mobile broadband segment includes devices such as notebook and netbook computers, as well as e-book readers."

Tablets themselves will grow exponentially, "with shipments projected to reach 58.9 million units, up a mighty 239.3 percent from 17.4 million in 2010."

The booming tablet market is engendering growth elsewhere, in addition to increasing demand for more, and more reliable, bandwidth. According to iSuppli, "Affecting everything from supply ecosystems, to chipset design, to services, applications and business models, tablets are spurring innovation not just in the wireless sector but also across multiple industries..."

Tablets to Power Growth of Mobile Broadband Market in 2011 (iSuppli)