According to research firm Informa, there were 225 million mobile broadband subscriptions in the first quarter this year – representing year-on-year growth of 93 percent for all mobile broadband technologies. However, there is still a lot of room for growth, as shown by the results of an Ericsson ConsumerLab survey conducted in late 2008 in which only half of respondents aged 15-69 knew what mobile broadband was.

Despite this marketing dilemma, Dan Warren, Director of Technology at the GSM Association (GSMA), predicts that mobile broadband (HSPA) will be responsible for one billion connections by 2013.

In a recent interview on CNBC UK, Warren compared HSPA to WiMAX, saying that HSPA is a natural evolution path for GSM operators and their installed base of 3.8 billion subscribers. He also explained how HSPA naturally leads into long-term evolution (LTE) as the standards for both technologies have been developed by the same group (3GPP).

Hans Ovesen, VP Industry Relations & Marketing at Ericsson, says: “Mobile broadband is growing at a pace that far exceeds that of GSM and WCDMA. It is a technology and service delivering on a promise to change the lives of millions of people. Having access to communication anywhere, anytime substantially influences work and commuting behaviors – contributing to a sustainable society, while increasing the quality of life.”

As awareness grows, users will learn that HSPA allows them to do many of the same things on their mobile devices as they do on their PC. The most common mobile broadband services include e-mail, chat, internet and communities. Businesses and consumers alike are embracing the freedom and productivity benefits offered by mobile broadband, driving flexible working practices and enabling spontaneous access the mobile internet while on the move.

Furthermore, with more than 1600 HSPA-enabled devices on the market, HSPA is the world's dominant mobile broadband technology and the fastest adopted mobile technology of all time.

Ericsson continues to be the leading provider of HSPA networks and solutions. Its mobile broadband customers include a majority of the world’s leading operators throughout more than 110 countries.