Department of Business and Economic Studies

Title: Mobile Broadband: A Market Research

Author: Hibel Sobbizadeh

15 credits

Thesis
Study programme in
Master of Business Administration in
Marketing Management
Abstract

Title: Mobile Broadband: A Market Research

Level: Thesis for Master of Business Administration in Marketing Management

Address: University of Gävle

Department of Business Administration
801 76 Gävle
Sweden
Telephone (+46) 26 64 85 00
Telefax (+46) 26 64 85 89
Web site http://www.hig.se

Author: Hibel Sobbizadeh

Supervisor: Maria Fregidou-Malama

Date: 2010-01

Aim: This research is performed in order to investigate about Mobile Broadband (MB)
market and the evolution of mobile broadband modems in this market. The aim is to find
out how the MB market is developing and which MB modems are dominating the market
at present and future time.
The study describes the history behind the MB market and its present and future state
where an increase of “internet connected” devices is almost inevitable. It at the same time
discusses how the MB modems are developing from today‟s PC data cards and USB
dongles to integrated modules in different devices.

Method: The research is based on published and unpublished articles and data found on
internet. Different search engines and databases such as Google and Gävle University
library-databases are used to find various data. This empirical data is then connected to
theory containing Marketing analysis, planning, implementation and control. The analysis

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part (PEST) gives a picture of the Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors
of the MB market, while the planning, implementation and control parts of the work give
an overview of the threats and opportunities of the market and the strategies to overcome
the problems and embrace the opportunities.

Result & Conclusions: The study demonstrates that MB market has potential of
becoming a successful market where devices with embedded module will be connected to
internet anywhere at anytime. This requires cooperation from all the players in the value
chain. The companies that choose and implement the best marketing and value chain
cooperation strategies will be leaders of this future market.

Suggestion for future research: One of the biggest challenges and limitations during the
work of this study due to its newness was to find empirical data about MB market. As the
time passes new information and statistics will make it easier for further research. As the
technology is developing rapidly it is recommended to use the latest articles and statistics
on internet when gathering new research material.

Contribution of the thesis: This study contains valuable input to people and
organizations who would like to get an overview of the MB and MB modem markets‟
development in the coming years.

Key words: Mobile Broadband, PEST analysis, marketing planning, marketing strategy,
marketing implementation, marketing control, embedded modules.

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Abbreviations

ARPU Average Revenue Per User

EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution
GPRS General packet radio service
GPS Global Positioning System
GSM Global System for Mobile communication
GSMA Global System for Mobile communication Association
HSPA High Speed Packet Access
HSPA+ Evolved High Speed Packet Access
LAN Local Area Network
LTE Long Term Evolution
MB Mobile Broadband
MID Mobile Internet Devices
MNO Mobile Network Operator
M2M Machine To Machine
ODM Original Design Manufacturers
OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer
PCMCIA Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
SIM Subscriber Identity Module
UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunication System
USB Universal Serial Bus
WiFi Wireless Fidelity
WiMax Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access
WLAN Wireless Local Area Network
WWAN Wireless Wide Area Network
3G Third Generation mobile communication
4G Forth Generation mobile communication

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Table of contents

Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 2
Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................. 4
Figures ............................................................................................................................................ 6
Tables.............................................................................................................................................. 6
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 7
1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................... 7
1.2 Motivation, research questions and objectives of this study ................................................. 8
Chapter 2 Theory ........................................................................................................................ 11
2.1 PEST-analysis ..................................................................................................................... 11
2.2 Marketing planning ............................................................................................................. 12
2.2.1 Marketing strategy and the marketing mix .................................................................. 14
2.2.2 Market segmentation ................................................................................................... 14
2.2.3 Target marketing .......................................................................................................... 15
2.2.4 Market positioning ....................................................................................................... 15
2.2.5 The Marketing mix ...................................................................................................... 16
2.3 Marketing implementation .................................................................................................. 17
2.4 Marketing control ................................................................................................................ 18
Chapter 3 Method ....................................................................................................................... 19
3.1 Selection of data .................................................................................................................. 20
3.2 Validity and reliability ........................................................................................................ 22
Chapter 4 Empirical data ........................................................................................................... 23
4.1 The Mobile Broadband device Market and its Players at present time ............................... 23
4.2 Mobile machine-to-machine market ................................................................................... 31
4.3 PEST ................................................................................................................................... 32
Chapter 5 Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 34
5.1 PEST ................................................................................................................................... 34
5.2 Marketing planning ............................................................................................................. 35
5.3 Marketing strategy .............................................................................................................. 37
5.3.1 Marketing segmentation, targeting and positioning: ................................................... 37
5.3.2 The Marketing mix ...................................................................................................... 38
5.4 Marketing implementation .................................................................................................. 39
5.5 Marketing control ................................................................................................................ 39
Chapter 6 Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 40
6.1 Answering the research questions ....................................................................................... 40
6.1.1 Threats ......................................................................................................................... 40
6.1.2 Opportunities ............................................................................................................... 41
6.2 Reflections on my study and suggestion for future studies ................................................. 44
References .................................................................................................................................... 45
Literature: .................................................................................................................................. 45
Articles: ..................................................................................................................................... 45
Internet sources: ........................................................................................................................ 45

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Figures Page

Figure 1.1: Marketing Research Process 8

Figure 2.1: Target marketing strategies 13
Figure 2.2: The four Ps 14
Figure 4.1: The mobile internet report by Morgan Stanley, p.39 22
Figure 4.2: The mobile internet report by Morgan Stanley, p.78 22
Figure 4.3: Options for mobile broadband connectivity 24
Figure 4.4: Mobile broadband device sales by type in Europe 2007-2014 25
Figure 4.5: Options for mobile broadband connectivity 26
Figure 4.6: Nokia releases slim PC with embedded module 27
Figure 4.7: Mobile broadband connections in Europe by device type 2007-2014 28
Figure 4.8: Annual revenue from MB by device type in Europe 2007-2014 29
Figure 5.1: Mobile Broadband logo 31
Figure 6.1: New Computing Cycle Characteristics 40
Figure 6.2: Some of devices that can contain embedded MB module 42

Tables
Table 2.1: PEST Analysis factors 10
Table 2.2: Marketing plan 11
Table 2.3: Marketing Control 16

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Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter gives an overview of the background, motivation and objectives of this
study.

1.1 Background
The “modern” wireless communication technology (using cellular phone) started in early
90s with mobile phones enabling people to communicate via voice calls and text
messages. Further on, as the information technology developed and people got more
familiar with internet a new market called Mobile Broadband (or Wireless Wide Area
Network, WWAN) opened up. Mobile broadband (MB) technology provides connection
to the internet and its services from any location using a multimedia device connected to
the mobile communication network and technologies such as GPRS, Edge, 3G and HSPA
network standards (Wikipedia, 2010).
Laptops and Notebooks in different sizes and colors, with different mobile broadband
connection devices such as PC data cards, USB modems and embedded modems, have
been introduced to the market. Today people can sit in almost any public place using
mobile internet to take care of their daily work, studies, social affairs and such, without
requiring cable or Wireless LAN (Wireless Local Area Network, available in some
homes for wireless sharing of “cable”-internet between several terminals).

Different statistics illustrate that the Mobile broadband market is moving fast forward.
Starting from approximately year 2003 (2001-2003 in different parts of the world) when
3G was launched commercially, consumers have been able to access internet using their
mobile devices. However most of these consumers were due to low data rates and high
prices, business customers. As the new technologies have lately been introducing
improved network capabilities and high speed access accompanied with new affordable
price plans and user friendly-devices, more and more consumers are joining the mobile
internet market. At the end of 2008 there were about 20 million mobile broadband
devices in service in Europe (Unpublished source, 2009).

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Today, operators in developed countries are providing great mobile broadband packages
in form of laptops with embedded broadband module or external modem (dongle). A
consumer can easily, only by inserting the SIM card into the modem or PC and clicking
on a soft key connect to high speed internet, immediately (Operator 3, 2009).
But, who are the providers of this technology?
The biggest players in the MB market are:
1. The network vendors such as Nokia and Ericsson.
2. The operators who are providing the network access to MB such as Vodafone and
TeliaSonera.
3. The MB modem manufacturers such as Huawei and Ericsson.
4. The terminal manufacturers such as Dell and HP.
Accessing high speed data has increased the demand for further development of the 3G
network to HSPA (High Speed Packet Access), HSPA+ (Evolved High Speed Packet
Access) and soon LTE (Long Term Evolution). This part is developed by the network
vendors such as Ericsson and Nokia with close cooperation with the operators. A
connectivity device (modem) is then needed to connect to this high speed internet access
network. The modems are mostly provided by manufacturers such as Ericsson, Huawei,
and Qualcomm (this study will mostly focus on this segment of the market). The modems
are then connected to or embedded inside the terminals (laptops) which are provided by
Dell, HP, Toshiba and more.
Analysys Masons‟ research shows that only in Europe by the year 2014 the number of
MB users will increase to 147 million (Unpublished source, 2009).

Before digging deeper into the MB technology and market the author would like to
clarify the purpose of this study.

1.2 Motivation, research questions and objectives of this study

There are two main reasons for choosing MB Market for this study. The first reason is the
curiosity of how this market has been developed and how it will continue to evolve in
future? Further, which products and firms are the market leaders today and will they be
able to maintain as leaders in this rapidly growing and changing market?

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The second reason is the author‟s connection to MB market. The author is not only a
regular mobile broadband user but also currently working with this cutting edge
technology, developing mobile broadband modules, for one of the world‟s telecom
leaders. This has been an advantage to access both published and unpublished
information that will help to provide up-to-date and more accurate research and results.
On the other hand the outcome of this study will contribute to a better understanding of
the current and future of MB market providing the author feedback to improve his daily
work to speedup the growth of the embedded MB devices‟ market. Further, this study can
give a valuable overview of the MB and MB modems market to different audiences such
as companies and individuals active in the MB market.
Hence, the general questions to answer in this study could be listed as following:
1. How does the mobile broadband device market look like today in form of
different devices in the market, competitors and their market shares?
2. How to speed up the growth of the embedded device MB market?

By answering the questions above the author will easier reach his objective of evaluating
the current market, finding new opportunities and strategies for present and future
markets and determining a way to grow and compete in the MB device market with
embedded modules.
The “Marketing Research Process” described by Kotler & Keller (Marketing
Management 12e, 2006) is used in the research. The process is shown in the figure below
(figure 1.1).

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 Figure 1.1: Marketing Research Process
Source: Marketing Management, 2006

Defining the problem and

research objectives

Developing the research

plan

Collect and present the

information

Analyze the information

Present the findings

Conclusion and
Recommendations

Each part of this study can be related to steps shown in the figure above. The introduction
defines the problem and the objectives of the research. The Theory, Method and
empirical chapters cover the second and third box in the figure. The study is then ended
with a presentation of analysis, reflections and conclusions.

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Chapter 2 Theory
This section gives the reader an overview of the framework of theories targeting the
subject of this study. The theory will be reference for the analysis and conclusion
chapters of this study.

2.1 PEST-analysis
PEST analysis is a useful tool for understanding the position, potential and direction of a
business and the market growth or decline. PEST is an acronym for Political, Economic,
Social and Technological factors which are used to assess the market for a business
(businessballs.com, 2010). Table 2.1 shows a modified version of factors involved in a
PEST analysis.
One of the most relevant “Political” factors of the MB market is the governmental
granting and funding of the development of MB market for its people. Another factor is
the environmental factor, how does MB affect our environment?
The “Economical” factors can include factors such as the current world and home
economy, and trends, what drives the customers in this economy? And how is the market
affected by today‟s economy recession?
The “Social” factors are connected to our changing lifestyle trends and attitudes. Further
how the company brand and image affects the people in different age groups and how we
are influenced by different kind of advertising and publicity, are also considered as major
social factors in the MB market.
Competing technologies, technologies that can replace MB, maturity of the MB
technology and how to access the MB technology are the major “Technological factors”
of the MB market.

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 Table 2.1: PEST Analysis factors
Source: businessballs.com, 2010

Political Economic

 ecological/environmental issues  home economy situation

 government policies  home economy trends

 funding, grants and initiatives  overseas economies and trends

 customer/end-user drivers

 international trade/monetary issues

Social

 lifestyle trends Technological

 demographics  competing technology development

 consumer attitudes and opinions  associated/dependent technologies

 media views  replacement technology/solutions

 brand, company, technology image  maturity of technology

 consumer buying patterns  information and communications

 major events and influences  technology access, licensing, patents

 buying access and trends  global communications

 advertising and publicity

2.2 Marketing planning

Marketing planning involves deciding on marketing strategies that will help the company
achieve its overall strategic goals. The following table (Armstrong & Kotler Marketing
2006, p.55) outlines the main section of a product or brand marketing plan. The plan
begins with a summary which overviews major assessments, objectives and
recommendations. Further it presents the current marketing situation and its potential
threats as well as its opportunities (tutor2u, 2010). The marketing strategy part consists of
specific strategies for target markets, positioning and the marketing mix. Each strategy
will address the threats and opportunities mentioned earlier. These steps are then

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followed by action plan for implementing the strategy, a detailed marketing budget and
controls, which will be used to monitor progress and adjusting action, see table 2.2.

Table 2.2: Marketing plan

Source: Marketing, 2006
Section Purpose
Executive summary Presents a brief summary of the main goals and
recommendations of the plan for management review,
helping top management to find the plan‟s major points
quickly. A table of contents should follow the executive
summary.

Current marketing situation
A market description that defines the market and major
segments, then reviews customer needs and factors in the
marketing environment that may affect customer
purchasing
A product review that shows sales, prices, and gross
margins of the major products in the product line
A review of competition, which identifies major
competitors and assesses their market positions and
strategies for product quality, pricing, distribution, and
promotion.
A review of distribution, which evaluates recent sales
trends and other developments in major distribution
channels.

Threats and opportunities Assesses major threats and opportunities that the product
might face, helping management to anticipate important
positive or negative developments that might have an
impact on the firm and its strategies.

Objectives and issues States the marketing objectives that the company would
like to attain during the plan‟s term and discusses key
issues that will affect their attainment. For example, if the
goal is to achieve a 15 percent market share, this section
looks at how this goal might be achieved.

Marketing strategy Outlines the broad marketing logic by which the business
unit hopes to achieve its marketing objectives and the
specifics of target markets, positioning, and marketing
expenditure levels. It outlines specific strategies for each
marketing-mix element and explains how each responds

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 to the threats, opportunities, and critical issues spelled out
earlier in the plan.

Actions programs Spells out how marketing strategies will be turned into
specific action programs that answer the following
questions: What will be done? When will it be done? Who
is responsible for doing it? How much will it cost?

Budgets Details a supporting marketing budget that is essentially a

projected profit-and-loss statement. It shows expected
revenues (forecasted number of units sold and the average
net price9 and expected costs (of production, distribution,
and marketing). The difference is the projected profit.
Once approved by higher management, the budget
becomes the basis for materials buying, production
scheduling, personnel planning, and marketing operations.

Controls Outlines the control that will be used to monitor progress

and allow higher management to review implementation
results and spot products that are not meeting their goals.

2.2.1 Marketing strategy and the marketing mix

In today‟s competitive market the companies need to be customer centered. They need to
win customers from competitors, keep and grow them by delivering great value. In order
to do so the company must first understand the customers‟ needs and wants and find the
segments of the market that it can serve better than others. Thus the three steps of market
segmentation, target marketing and market positioning help to easier determine the
marketing strategy (Marketing, 2006).

2.2.2 Market segmentation

A marketer needs to determine which segments offer the best opportunities by grouping
the consumers in various ways based on geographic- (nations, cities, or neighborhoods),
demographic- (age, gender, occupation), psychographic- (social class, lifestyle,
personality) and behavioral factors (occasions, benefits, attitude toward product). An
affective segmentation should according to Armstrong and Kotler (Marketing, 2006) be
Measurable. It means that the size, purchasing power and profiles of the segments should
be measurable. The segments should also be Accessible, easy to reach and serve. They

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should also be large or profitable enough to serve (Substantial). It should also be easy to
see different customer behavior for different segments and use different marketing mix
(Differentiable). Finally the segments should be Actionable, which means that they
should be possible to serve.

2.2.3 Target marketing

After finding its segments a company needs to evaluate each market-segment‟s
attractiveness and select one or more segments to enter. It should target segments in
which it can beneficially generate greatest customer value and sustain it over time. The
figure below shows different target marketing strategies (figure 2.1):

Figure 2.1: Target marketing strategies

Source: Marketing 2006

Undifferentiated Differentiated Concentrated Micromarketing

Targeting broadly Targetting narrowly

Undifferentiated marketing or mass marketing strategy is when a firm decides to ignore

market segment differences and target the whole market with one offer. The focus in this
strategy is what is common in the needs of consumers rather than on what is different.
In differentiated marketing strategy the firm decides to target several market segments
and designs separate offers for each. Concentrated market coverage strategy focuses on a
large share of one or a few smaller segments or niches instead of going after a small share
of a large market. Micromarketing is the practice of tailoring products and marketing
programs after needs and wants of specific individuals or groups (Marketing, 2006).

2.2.4 Market positioning

Market positioning according to Armstrong & Kotler, is arranging for a product to
occupy a clear, distinctive, and desirable place relative to competing products in the
minds of target consumers. The company needs to offer greater customer value than its

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competitors either by charging lower price or offering benefits to justify higher prices.
All kind of differentiation such as differentiation in product, service, channels, staff and
image play a significant role in positioning.

2.2.5 The Marketing mix

After deciding the marketing strategy the company can start planning its marketing mix
in details. It is a set of controllable, tactical marketing tools that the firm blends to
produce a demand for its products in the target market. Armstrong & Kotler refer to four
Ps; Product, Price, Place and Promotion for an effective marketing mix (Marketing, 2006,
p.52-53), see figure 2.2.

Figure 2.2: The four Ps

Source: Marketing, 2006

Product Price
Variety List price
Quality Discounts
Design Allowances
Features Payment -
Brand name period
Packaging Target Credit terms
Services customers

Intended
positioning
Promotion Place
Advertising Channels
Personal - Coverage
selling
Sales –
Assortments
promotion Locations
Public relations Inventory
Transportation
Logistics

1. Product: means the goods and services combination that company offers to the
target market. The mix of products in each company is defined in one or more
product line which has its own length depending on the market, competition and
strategy. In order to increase market share, the length of each product line can
either be stretched to cover wide range of products or different features of a

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 product. Quality of the product is an important variable for positioning the
product and the brand in customers‟ minds.
2. Price: is the amount of money customers have to pay to obtain the product. To put
the right price tag on a product is a difficult task. The price is influenced by both
internal and external factors of a company. Pricing is further about discounts,
interest and credits and delivering the value and customer satisfaction for the
amount of money a customer is paying.
3. Place: includes company activities that make the product available to target
consumers. All kind of channels such as distribution, logistics, transportations are
included in this parameter. These are the channels that connect the producer to the
consumer. Hence to be able to control and optimize them is one of the greatest
challenges and an important factor for the company.
4. Promotion: refer to activities that communicate the merits of the product and
persuade target customers to buy it. The most known variables of promotion are
advertising and sales promotion.

An effective marketing program blends all of the marketing mix elements into a
coordinated program designed to achieve the company‟s marketing objectives by
delivering value to consumers (Marketing, 2006).
The marketing mix framework however has limitations. This framework was more useful
when the physical products dominated the economy. In today‟s market it is clear that
other factors such as packaging, people and process are also important (NetMBA, 2010).

2.3 Marketing implementation

This is the process that puts marketing plans into action in order to accomplish the
strategic marketing objectives. In other words implementation is about “doing things
right” while strategy is about “doing the right things” (Marketing, 2006). This means that
even if two companies follow the same strategy in the market the one who is better at
implementing the strategies is the one who will have a greater share of the market.

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2.4 Marketing control
Marketing control involves evaluating the results of marketing strategies and plans and
taking the right actions to ensure that objectives are attained. In general, it‟s a way to use
the feedback from market regarding the performance of marketing implementation that
has been applied in order to reach the goals set by the management. There are two types
of control:
Operating control- involves checking ongoing performance against the annual plan and
taking action when needed.
Strategic control- involves looking at whether the company‟s basic strategies are well
matched to its opportunities. A major tool for this kind of control is a marketing audit.
Marketing audit is a systematic, independent and periodic examination of a company‟s
environment, objectives, strategies, and activities to find out more about problem areas
and opportunities to recommend a plan of action to improve the company‟s marketing
performance. The table below is an example taken from Kotler & Keller (2006, page 717)
demonstrating the importance of marketing control, see table 2.3.

Table 2.3: Marketing Control

Source: Kotler &Keller (2006)

Type of Control Prime Purpose of Control Approaches

Responsibility
 Sales analysis
Annual-plan control Top management To examine whether
 Market share analysis
Middle management the planned results  Sales-to-expense
ratios
are being achieved  Financial analysis
 Market-based
scorecard analysis
 Profitability by:
Profitability control Marketing To examine where
 Product
Controller the company is  Territory
 Customer
making and losing  Segment
 Trade channel
money
 Order size

To evaluate and improve  Efficiency of:

Efficiency Control Line and staff
 Sales force
the spending efficiency
management  Advertising
and impact of marketing  Sales promotion

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  Distribution
Marketing controller expenditures
 Marketing-
Strategic Control Top management To examine whether
effectiveness rating
Marketing auditor the company is instrument
 Marketing audit
pursuing its best  Marketing excellence
review
opportunities with
 Company ethical and
respect to markets, social responsibility
review.
products, and
channels.

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Chapter 3 Method
This part of the study is dedicated to the research methods and information regarding
how the data is collected, analyzed and presented.

3.1 Selection of data

A classic way of analyzing and concluding a study is to connect its empirical data to
recognized theory. In this study I use the “abduction” (Saunders, 2003) approach in order
to relate empirical data to known marketing theories. The approach according to
Saunders is based on reality and empirical data which are combined with known theories
for the purpose of pattern and understanding. I have in part 2 and 4 of this study collected
theories and empirical data making it possible to reflect and analyze in order to form the
fitting conclusions. The theory framework selected for this study contains:

 Marketing analysis (PEST)

 Marketing planning (including Marketing strategies and Marketing Mix)
 Marketing implementation
 Marketing control

According to Armstrong & Kotler (Marketing, 2006), “to find the best marketing strategy
and mix, the company engages in marketing analysis, planning, implementation and
control”.
The assembly of the empirical data however has been the most challenging part of this
study since the research subject is new. This, mostly qualitative and partly quantitative,
information has been collected from internet sources using search engines such as
Google, HIG (Gävle University) library database and free encyclopedia such as
Wikipedia. I have also collected knowledge from secure published sources such as
Armstrong & Kotler (Marketing, 2006), Bryman & Bell (Företags-ekonomiska
forskningsmetoder), Kotler & Keller (Marketing Management 12e, 2006) and other
unpublished sources such as Analysys Mason (Mobile broadband devices, 2009).

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Keywords such as marketing research, marketing planning, mobile broadband, marketing
strategy and control, HSPA, WiFi, WiMax, 3G and so forth have been used on the
different search engines mentioned to find different articles and reports such as Morgan
Stanley‟s (a global financial services firm, morganstanely.com, 2010) mobile internet
report and more.
The whole concept of this research originated from my daily work at one of the biggest
embedded MB device producers. Since the natural way of any other external device
connected to a PC has been to become embedded (such as WiFi and Bluetooth devices), I
wanted to find out how to speedup the process of getting MB modem embedded. Hence
the aim has been to gather a valid and sufficient amount of theory and empirical data
about Marketing-research in general, MB market, Marketing- planning, analysis, strategy
and control in order to shed light on the main objectives of this work. Since mobile
broadband market is a relatively young market, the number of published studies is
limited. This has made the empirical information finding and gathering rather difficult.

In order to get a basic overview of the Mobile internet market I started gathering
information about the history of the mobile communication technology and its expansion
procedure from its early days until today. The next step was to find out how the market
looks today? How many people are using mobile internet? And which are the devices
they use to do that? Which companies are the market leaders and how big is the
competition in this market?
After having collected the information it was time to use known theories to analyze and
understand the behavior of the market today and the coming years and present some
conclusions regarding which ways and strategies might speed up the growth of the
embedded MB device market.

The above mentioned process has been a time-consuming and challenging, yet interesting
and instructive journey.

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3.2 Validity and reliability
It is not easy to be convinced that all the information and statistics found on internet is
valid and reliable. But since the same data has been used and repeated in different articles
I assume that the reliability and the validity of the data are fairly high. The same
assumption is applicable for the unpublished information since it is gathered by
professional companies and delivered to their professional clients for a high payment.
When it comes to technical information and descriptions however, due to my technical
education and background I hope the reader does trust the validity and the reliability of
the used data.

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Chapter 4 Empirical data

This part of the study presents gathered information about the MB device market and its
players, subscribers and sales statistics to the reader.

4.1 The Mobile Broadband device Market and its Players at

present time
The MB market is characterized by a broad range of devices used to access wide-area
data connectivity. There are four main types of terminals or end-user equipment:
1. The mobile phone
2. Mobile Internet Devices (MID, devices which are optimized for browsing)
3. Laptop
4. Other (such as cameras, game consoles, picture frames and eBooks)
Laptops can come in different varieties such as Notebooks, Netbooks etc.

In the early days of the wireless internet, even before the launch of UMTS networks in
2003 the mobile internet device (modem) market was dominated by PCMCIA/Express
cards. As the evolution of the 3G networks speeded up, the USB modems arrived to
market (in 2007) and took over its main part. Today these USB dongles with
approximately 90% of sales of MB devices in Europe are dominating the market.
However this dominance will be changed and gradually overtaken by the embedded
modems according to Analysys Mason (unpublished article). This is due to the
advantages that an embedded module has compared to a dongle or any other modem.
Nevertheless Mobile Network Operators (MNO) need to adapt their marketing strategies
to suit the changing dynamics when they lead the market from USB modems to
embedded modules.
Further according to Analysys Mason the adoption of mobile data services has risen in
the past two years. In August 2008 the GSM Association (GSMA) announced that 50
million subscribers worldwide were using HSPA networks. This number was only 11
million the year before. By April 2009 this number had increased to 120 million. Figure
4.1 shows the increased usage of data on mobile phone in US.

23
 Figure 4.1: The mobile internet report by Morgan Stanley, p.39
Source: morganstanely.com, 2009

As the Morgan Stanley studies show, the mobile internet usage on iPhone (9 %) is about
6 % higher than a normal mobile phone (3 %), which means that with access to the
proper device the usage of mobile internet increases. The same study shows the raise of
the number of global 3G subscribers in the following figure, see figure 4.2.

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Figure 4.2: The mobile internet report by Morgan Stanley, p.78
Source: morganstanely.com, 2009

The graph shows that the number of 3G subscribers has grown over the last years and
will continue to grow in the coming years. According to the graph the number of 3G
global users by the year 2014 will increase from 2009‟s 688 million to 2776 million
covering approximately 43 % of the global 3G user market. This means an approximately
5 to 6 % yearly increase of global 3G market penetration.

25
 Figure 4.3: Options for mobile broadband connectivity
Source: Analysys Mason, 2009

The most important part of the MB market is the device market. This market is
dominated by USB modems “dongles” at the moment. However it is still an immature
market which is changing rapidly. For two years ago the market domination shifted from
PCMCIA cards to USB modems and now the next competitor, embedded module, is on
its way to dominate the market in a few years from now (Analysys Mason, 2009).
Figure 4.3 illustrates the common options for MB connectivity.
The first option which is using a USB dongle is the most common one today. The second
option is done by using the mobile phone via Bluetooth or cable as a modem connected to
the PC. This option is used only by few consumers since to use the same SIM card for
both voice and data is more costly. The third option is used in some homes today. The
SIM card is inserted to a MB Hub which connects to the MB network and then shares

26
internet with all the WLAN devices at home. The forth option is not common yet but will
be the most common option in future according to Analysys Mason. The laptop has an
embedded modem which makes connection to wireless internet possible anywhere and
anytime. The last option is mostly used for quick and short access to internet using a
multimedia device such as “Iphone”. This kind of device is unpractical to use for
advanced usage of internet.

Figure 4.4: Mobile broadband device sales by type in Europe, 2007–2014

Source: Analysys Mason, 2009

Figure 4.4 shows how the mobile device market is developing in Europe. As mentioned
earlier over the next five years the device market which today is dominated by the USB
modems will shift to embedded modems. The USB modem market will reach its top by
the year 2013 with approximately 60 million devices in Europe when the embedded
modem market takes over.

27
Although the embedded module share of the connectivity device market currently is less
than 3% Analysys Mason believes that by the year 2014 this number will increase to
approximately 50%. However in order to stay competitive, the companies producing
embedded broadband modules need to move along the value chain to become module
manufacturer delivering directly to the Terminal manufacturers. As you can see in figure
4.5 Ericsson and Qualcomm are currently ahead of their competitors in this matter.
Samsung and perhaps Nokia are the companies that have the ability and know-how to
own the whole value chain producing end-user devices for mobile broadband usage.
Sierra Wireless has purchased Wavecom in order to address the fact of producing its own
chipsets.

Figure 4.5: Options for mobile broadband connectivity

Source: Analysys Mason, 2009

The latest news from Nokia on “Dagens Industri” (Swedish Industry Paper, 2009)
illustrates the statement above, when Nokia enters the “slim-laptop with embedded
broadband module” market, see figure 4.6.

28
 Figure 4.6: Nokia releases slim PC with embedded module
Source: Dagens Industri, 2009

2009-08-24 14:03

The figure below (figure 4.7) from Analysys Mason demonstrates the evolution of the
mobile broadband device market in Europe from 2007 to 2014. The figure shows how the
embedded module gains market share while USB dongles and PCMCIA loose territory.

29
 Figure 4.7: Mobile broadband connections in Europe by device type, 2007–2014
Source: Analysys Mason, 2009

How will the revenue for each device develop?

During year 2007 when the PCMCIA modem dominated the market and since it was
mostly used by business customers it was generating most revenue for the Mobile
Network Operators (MNO). But as the device domination is shifting to other devices the
revenue generation will also change its course. The ARPU (Average Revenue Per User)
in Europe from year 2008 to 2013 according to Analysys Mason will be dominated by
USB modem users. However by the year 2014 this behavior will change as the embedded
modules will predominate the market. Analysys Mason assumes that the first embedded
modems will be bought by early adaptors, who will generate higher ARPU than users of
USB modems. But later ARPU from these modems will be lower than the one from USB
modems since the embedded modems are not possible to share between multiple devices
and will mostly be used for prepaid services. ARPU from PCMCIA will be high and
decline slower as they tend to be used by business customers. However due to low market
share for PCMCIA cards, the ARPU by the year 2014 will be modest. Figure 4.8

30
illustrates the annual revenue from all the MB devices including the ones described above
in Europe.

Figure 4.8: Annual revenue from mobile broadband by device type in

Europe, 2007–2014
Source: Analysys Mason, 2009

4.2 Mobile machine-to-machine market

Another big market for mobile broadband modules is machine-to-machine (M2M)
market. It is a technology that supports wireless communication between devices.
Machines and devices can be enabled with wireless connectivity by integrating a wireless
module or chipset at the design stage. This will make it possible for all the machines,
vehicles and devices to have access to voice and data communication via the mobile
network. A car can for example have inbuilt GPS navigation system and internet and be
able to make an emergency call when ever needed. An advanced factory machine can
become remotely controllable from any part of the world. A journalist‟s camera can send
its pictures immediately from anywhere to anywhere in the world without any internet

31
cable attached. A portable gaming console can be connected to mobile internet for online
gaming and media download or upload, and so on (unpublished source).

4.3 PEST
Political factors: different sources on internet show how the governments of different
countries are supporting the mobile broadband market. Sweden, Australia and UK are
example of countries that already have started their mission (techcrunch.com,
totaltele.com, telstraenterprise.com, 2009).
Economical factors: the world economy has been in a recession for the last couple of
years (carnegieendowment.org, 2009 & privataaffarer.se, 2008). During recession periods
people tend to save more and consume less (ezinearticles.com, 2010). Even though the
impact might have not been that high on the telecom market (ciol.com, 2010) we still see
an affect on the telecom product sales and thus the growth of the mobile broadband
market (unpublished source).
Social factors: the life style of the people, especially young and career-people is
becoming more and more mobile and internet related. It is a trend that has been going on
for a while and will continue to grow (hubpages.com, 2009). I have asked some friends
and colleagues opinion on this matter and they claim the same thing. Social networks
such as Facebook and other networking applications are very important in many peoples
daily life.
Big PC brands, like DELL, are using this trend to design customized laptops for people in
different age groups with different needs and taste for fashion (dell.com, 2009). They
record and analyze consumer purchasing patterns and use that for adapting their products
delivering higher value. Another important social factor is brand awareness. The mobile
broadband industry giants have together created a brand which will make it easier for
consumers to recognize the products and relate to them. The figure below shows the
mobile broadband logo (figure 5.1).

32
 Figure 5.1: Mobile Broadband Logo
Source: broadband-finder.co.uk, 2008

Technological factors:
Technologies competing with mobile broadband are landline or phone-line cable internet,
WiFi and WiMax, however these products are limited. Landline, WiFi and WiMax can
only be used indoors or limited outdoor areas and when provided, while mobile
broadband can be used anywhere with 3G coverage at any time.

33
Chapter 5 Analysis
This part gives the reader an overview of the relation between theory and collected data.
It also provides the information on opportunity findings of the MB market which makes it
easier to form conclusions and suggestions in next chapter.

5.1 PEST
PEST analysis can clarify the position, potential and direction of mobile broadband and
the market growth or decline using the following factors.
Political factors: since mobile broadband is the future of the broadband technology, the
governments of the developed countries and some developing countries are supporting
the technology. In Sweden the partly state owned operator TeliaSonera is one of the first
operators investing in developing its network to support faster mobile broadband together
with Network vendors. The Australian government is supporting its biggest operator
Telstra to become one of the providers of the fastest mobile broadband in the world.
Money is invested by some of the government of the developed countries for research of
the future mobile generation called 4G (LTE) which will provide an extremely high-
speed internet connection. A quicker transition to faster mobile internet will increase the
number of mobile internet users all over the world and thereby open new opportunities
for new markets and growing economy for these countries. Another interesting factor is
the environmental factor; using mobile broadband by modifying the existing mobile
network is efficient and environmentally friendly than providing cable internet for 6
billion people.
Economical factors: the world economy recession has been influencing even the mobile
broadband market. Not only there has been a decline of network sales for telecom
companies such as Ericsson, Nokia and Huawei but also decline in growth of the number
of MB subscribers and modems. However in some cases like in Austria where the price
of mobile internet plans are lower than land line subscription the recession might have
caused a shift to mobile broadband subscription for some customers.
Social factors: this is an important driving factor for MB evolution. The consumers have
realized the importance of being knowledgeable and “up-to-date” in order to succeed in
their careers and their lives (ezinearticles.com, 2009). Therefore they choose to have

34
access to information via internet while they are moving around, especially when this
accessibility can be provided at a lower cost today, via mobile internet and small
notebooks.
Technological factors: today are both WiFi and WiMax already recognized technologies
for consumers all over the world. This situation will change as the MB providers inform
consumers about the advantages of mobile broadband. The required change has only been
possible the last couple of years since both the technology performance and the price plan
have reached a reasonable level. Today consumers can get sufficient rate of throughput
with mobile broadband for the same amount of money as landline and that is a threat to
landline-broadband providers. On the other hand access to 3G and HSPA network is
today only possible in developed countries.
In near future, as the developing countries catch up, the innovation for constructing even
better and more advanced technology and new services will increase. There are also new
markets such as Machine to Machine communication opening specifically for embedded
MB modules.

5.2 Marketing planning

The broadband market today is still dominated by landline internet. But as the world
continues to go towards being as accessible as possible and the demand to be updated and
informed raises, the need for mobile internet communication is increasing. This need is
higher in the younger psychographic segment of the market, where people aim for good
career and better life style (technewsdaily.com). The products available today for
answering these needs are WiFi, WiMax (in some places) and mobile broadband -dongles
and -embedded modules. As the two first options are limited to certain coverage area
(mostly indoors) the only option covering both indoors and outdoors connection to
internet are dongles and embedded modules. According to Analysys Mason and other
unpublished sources, the mobile broadband dongles today are dominating the market.
However this will change in near future when embedded modules will be more accepted
by the market. Similar processes were experienced during life cycle of other
technologies‟ products prior to mobile broadband such as Bluetooth and WiFi dongles.
Today all these technologies have been integrated into laptops instead of dongles

35
presented in the early states of each technology. The price of an embedded broadband
module today is due to low production-volume higher than other competitor devices.
Nevertheless, in near future the price of these embedded modems will decrease and
customer value increase as people become more aware of the benefits of the embedded
module and start buying. It is obvious that the big providers of the embedded MB
modems need to create a trend and a demand for the embedded module by educating their
distribution channels and consumers as much as possible. Most of the MB threats come
from competitor technologies such as WiMax and landline broadband. A wider spread of
WiMax will decrease the “geographical” segments of the market. The market will shrink
to consumers who want to work outdoors where there is no WiFi or WiMax. Another
threat will be higher speed landline for lower price.
One of the biggest opportunities of the MB is the cost of upgrading the system. It is more
cost efficient to upgrade the 3G system to HSPA or HSPA+ for higher throughput than
constructing new WiMax networks. The MB technology is today one of the fastest
growing technologies in the world where the new coming generation 4G will offer very
high-speed internet connection and new opportunities. This will reduce the threats other
technologies are causing today. When it comes to the threats and opportunities for
embedded broadband module, the dongles will still dominate the market until the
following criteria are reached:
1. Distributors and consumers become aware of benefits of the embedded
module
2. The technology becomes easier to use. Today the dongle can be connected
to any PC at any time to access the mobile internet, while the module can
connect one PC only (embedded).
3. The operators start to sell embedded instead of dongles. It is easier for an
operator to sell dongles today. Cooperation between the embedded module
providers and operators can solve this issue.
4. Better marketing is needed to increase the volume of sales and decrease
the price of embedded module.

36
At the same time the opportunities of an embedded module will become more as the time
passes. As any other external technology that has been added to personal computers, the
natural evolution is to go embedded. Consumers prefer to have the technology inside
their laptops instead of a dongle hanging from it. Another rather significant opportunity
for an embedded module is that it is not only limited to laptops. The module can be
integrated into almost any machine or device that requires internet connection. Imagine
having a car, camera or play console that can connect to internet immediately from any
place. Visualize being able to communicate from a machine to another machine through
internet in any industry from any point of the world. Other features such as size-reduction
and GPS are easier to implement for an embedded module.
Therefore it is important that the mobile broadband actors have the objectives of
informing and educating the value chain and consumers as much as possible and as soon
as possible. There should be cooperation between the module providers towards PC
vendors and operator to satisfy the needs of the end-users. Hence, by finding a suitable
marketing strategy that has objectives such as selecting and targeting the concerned
market segments, reducing the price and costs, delivering the right product in a correct
way and promoting it to the right audience, the whole value-chain can perform better.
This requires a strong budget planning and a good progress which I can refer to in my
daily work at Ericsson.

5.3 Marketing strategy

5.3.1 Marketing segmentation, targeting and positioning: since people
think and behave differently and like different products it is important for a company to
find out in which segments it should put its effort in order to gain most. Segmentation
simplifies the distribution channel selection and competition awareness. I believe that a
combination of geographic and psychographic segmentation is the best combination
segments to approach for mobile broadband in the beginning. In other words, to focus
mostly on young consumers (e.g. students) and successful business minded consumers in
developed countries (where HSPA networks are available) in the beginning, and expand
both the geographic and psychographic segments when the requirements are fulfilled in
other geographical segments. Another segment consists of businesses that are developing

37
Machine-to-Machine products. It is also possible to target other segments created by
behavioral factors later on when MB embedded modules are acknowledged by the
consumers.
I find differentiated marketing to be the best option targeting strategy for Mobile
broadband. The MB modules producers must be able to position themselves by offering
different products and services to these different segments. Hence each segment requires
specific marketing mix. However the general strategy can be summarized in the
following points:
 Expand mobile communication all over the world as soon as possible
 Drive mobile broadband forward by producing products with high customer value
 Lead network transformation to full service broadband through new technologies

5.3.2 The Marketing mix

Product: the embedded broadband module product differs depending on which segment
the producer is targeting. The MB modules manufacturers are adapting their products to
different segments‟ needs by offering a suitable product portfolio. Most of them are today
producing high performance product with high speed and futures such as GPS. However
some of them are also targeting the segments that require a compact version of the
product for MID devices and a cost efficient basic version targeting the low budget
versions of laptops and devices (unpublished source).
Price: the price of an embedded module today is almost two times higher than a dongle
which makes the promotion of the product rather difficult. This problem will however
vanish when the number of sales raises and cheaper versions of modules are introduced to
the market. OEM- (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and Operator discounts will also
have an impact on the price in future (unpublished source).
Place: in order to efficiently deliver the products to the end users, the mobile broadband
module producers need to cooperate with both the producers of the devices which hold
the module (such as laptop and MID devices) and the operators who deliver to the end
users. This is not as cost-efficient as the USB dongle which only needs to be delivered to
the operators; nevertheless a good cooperation in packaging and usage of common

38
distribution channels can help to boost the customer value and sales of embedded
modules after all (unpublished source).
Promotion: Not only advertisements showing the benefits of the embedded module
versus the dongle to all kind of customers are of great importance, but even education and
communication with internal sales, sales channels and partners via competent personnel
is essential. It is also important to use discounts and increase the public relations
(unpublished source).

5.4 Marketing implementation

Now that the strategy is showing the right things to do, the MB manufacturers need to do
things right as well. Therefore a correct marketing implementation is needed. This can be
done by creating the organization that can cover the strategies, and establishing strategic
business units with assignments and resources towards a common goal. A mission
statement therefore can be a helpful tool presenting the path to reach the goal.

5.5 Marketing control

According to Kotler & Keller (2006, page 717) the control process starts from goal
setting further to performance measurement, performance diagnosis and ending with
corrective action. It‟s a way to find out what is happening to a company on its way to
reach the goal? Why is it happening? And what should be done to improve the situation?
If a MB module producer has the goal to connect as many technical devices to internet as
possible, it should after careful strategic planning and the right Marketing mix and
implementation, also put effort on marketing control. Operating and strategic control are
the tools for finding out what is happening to a company‟s sales in the market. In general,
control-types such as annual-plan control, profitability control, efficiency control and
strategic control are essential.

39
Chapter 6 Conclusions
In this chapter the key findings of this study such as threats, opportunities and strategy
activities are presented.

6.1 Answering the research questions

The objective of this study was to answer the following questions “How does the mobile
broadband device market look like today in form of different devices in the market,
competitors and their market shares?” and “How to speed up the growth of the embedded
device MB market?"
The MB market has taken off and will continue to grow for the coming years. There are
different modems in the market that help us to connect to MB today and the competition
between them is escalating. However the trend shows that as other former technologies
such as Bluetooth and WiFi, even MB will become an embedded part of different PCs,
MID devices and machines. But that day will probably not come, or will be delayed, if
proper actions in form of Marketing- analysis, planning, implementation and control are
not taken.
This study demonstrates the following threats and opportunities for today‟s MB module
market, hence the answer to the first research question.

6.1.1 Threats
 The world economy due to recession has been unstable for a while and will
remain for an uncertain future
 Tough competition from other technologies, such as landline broadband, WiFi
and WiMax which can offer faster connection
 Consumers are not familiar with the technology and its benefits
 Price competition, especially from the USB modem market
 A USB modem can be connected to different PCs while a MB module can only be
used by the PC it is embedded in

40
6.1.2 Opportunities
 Governmental help to develop the MB technology is provided
 The latest trends and life styles; to become more connected and available with the
trendiest multimedia devices
 To bee able to connect to internet anywhere, anytime both indoors and outdoors
 Embedded module is easier to handle than an USB modem
 Faster MB technologies such as 4G (LTE)
 Other benefits of an embedded module such as GPS and voice support, etc
 The module can be embedded in any device or machine that requires internet
connection

The following “strategic activities” can be recommended in order to decrease the threats
and increase the opportunities and further speed up the growth of the MB market, hence
the answer to the second research question.
 Focus on the geographical and psychographic segments of the market targeting
young- and business minded consumers in the beginning and expand to other
segments as the market situation changes
 Explore the machine-to-machine market and penetrate when the time is right. The
mobile broadband producers together with ODMs (Original Design
Manufacturers) need to become more active in the M2M market and find new
business partners in industries such as vehicle, gaming, optics (camera) and other
smart devices
 Differentiate with additional product-features and better service
 Create a proper product portfolio covering the segments requiring low price
module, high technology (e.g. HSPA+, LTE) module and small sized module.
The number of products in the portfolio should increase as the sales raise and new
segments open up
 Be cost efficient by utilizing and moving along the value chain efficiently in order
to reduce the price
 Actively search for new partners and clients

41
 Close cooperation and communication concerning product life cycles, processes
and staff education, between different actors of the value-chain such as OEMs,
ODMs operators and retailers
 Smart and simple advertisements and public-relations in order to increase the
awareness of the mobile broadband brand and products and their benefits, to
consumers
 Smarter packaging by eliminating the complications brought by embedded
module. For example including a prepaid SIM-card in the end-user package
making it possible to connect the PC to mobile internet directly after purchasing
 Fill the gaps in the landline broadband market with mobile broadband products
 Close cooperation with operators to offer better mobile broadband packages,
postpaid, prepaid plans without complicated limits
 Possibly at some point initiate cooperation with WiMax providers to offer an
automatic transfer from mobile broadband to WiMax when available in order to
reduce the costs for prepaid users

42
 Figure 6.1: New Computing Cycle Characteristics
Source: morganstanely.com, 2009

Finally, the Morgan Stanley graph above indicates (figure 6.1) how massive the Mobile
internet market, with a potential of 10 Billion connected units, can become compared to
other earlier significant mass-market technologies. This means that, by driving MB
market forward and increasing the number of subscribers who can access to internet
anywhere, the whole internet market will benefit and expand further. If we think about it,
there is no limit for usage of embedded mobile modules in different devices. In other
words the mobile broadband market with embedded modems can become massive.

43
 Figure 6.2: devices that can contain embedded MB module
Source: unpublished source

6.2 Reflections on my study and suggestion for future studies

This research does not only give a basic overview of today‟s MB and MB module market
to the reader but also provides valuable input to the companies working and competing in
the MB market. However due to the complexity of finding data for such a fresh subject at
the time the data was collected, and due to the rapidity of the technical development in
the MB area there is a great opportunity for further studies in this field. In that case I
hope this paper can be a good inspiration and starting point for fellow students that would
like to continue investigating in this field. If there was an opportunity to do this research
all over again I would probably use another approach to the current available data and
statistics on internet. It would be easier to concentrate on a specific part of the market
instead of working on a broader approach as I have done for this study. It also would
have been interesting to have interviews with MB marketing departments at the biggest
telecom companies if possible, to get access to the different strategies these companies
are using to compete in this fast growing market.

44
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Income-in-Just-One-Hour-a-Day&id=4784562>

Privata affärer, Recession i Sverige, latest access (3 nov -10)

<http://www.privataaffarer.se/nyheter/200811/sverige-i-recession/index.xml>

Carnegie Endowment, The world in recession, latest access (3 November 2010)

<http://www.carnegieendowment.org/events/?fa=eventDetail&id=1332>

Hub pages, Mobile internet lifestyle in 2009, latest access (3 November 2010)
<http://hubpages.com/hub/Mobile-Internet-is-the-Next-Killer-Application>

TechNewsDaily, Wireless internet use soaring thanks to young people and minorities,
latest access (3 November 2010)
<http://www.technewsdaily.com/wireless-internet-use-soaring-thanks-to-young-people-
and-minorities-0824/>

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