Mobile broadband investment to reach $72 billion this year, GSMA reckons

The industry body for mobile broadband announced today that investment in mobile broadband is expected to be as high as $72 billion this year, as demand for the service increases.

The GSMA's  announcement, based on investment data compiled by Deutsche Bank, comes as HSPA connections worldwide reach the 200 million mark, with demand showing no signs of slowing.

"The forecasted investment in Mobile Broadband technologies reflects the importance the mobile industry places on enabling consumers to access any type of content on the move - whatever they want, whenever they want, wherever they want," said Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer at the GSMA. "HSPA and HSPA+ have become the dominant global Mobile Broadband technologies and are set to benefit from a significant proportion of this CAPEX investment, resulting in faster and more reliable Mobile Broadband services being available to more subscribers around the world by the end of this year.

Mobile broadband is expected to account for over half of all investment in mobile infrastructure, with the Asia Pacific region predicted to see the largest investment, followed by North America and then Europe, as networks compete to roll out upgrades to manage network congestion and attract more customers.