Mobile data cards take off in Europe

The number of combination mobile data cards shipping in Europe is expected to rocket from 1.2 million in 2004 to more than 5.7 million in 2008.

According to research from IDC, prices for GPRS/GSM combinations and some UMTS/GPRS/GSM mobile data connectivity cards is set to fall as competition among operators begins to bite.

IDC said that in the first quarter of this year operators such as Vodafone and T-Mobile started with a 'business only' UMTS/GPRS mobile data card service, but that there are now more than 10 mobile operators offering mobile data services across western Europe.

The analyst explained that the price model that operators are currently using is based largely on the mobile business user paying per data byte used.

Prices in different countries range from $90 to $160 per month for 'unlimited' use, mostly with a maximum of 1GB per month, with an additional charge for the PC data card of around $160 to $220, excluding VAT.

See also:

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