ASIA PACIFIC EXPECTS 564 MLN 3G SUBSCRIBERS BY 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- Asia Pacific's 3G subscribers are expected
to top 564 million by 2013 from 121 million in 2007 and an estimated 158.4
million last year.

With 3G subscriber net additions in record numbers year-on-year, mobile
operators are eager to establish 3G external broadband devices, namely
connection devices like dongles and datacards, to complement their mobile
broadband offerings.

Frost & Sullivan senior industry analyst Marc Einstein said that dongles and
datacards are increasingly a preferred connectivity device of choice for Asia
Pacific's broadband subscribers given the slim form-factor of the devices,
faster 3G speeds and competitive service plans available.

By 2013, more than one in every three new broadband subscriber
will use dongles or datacards for their mobile broadband needs, giving fixed
broadband players a run for their money, he said in a statement Tuesday.

According to a report from Frost & Sullivan, 3G external broadband devices
in Asia Pacific, there were an estimated 5.2 million mobile broadband dongle
and datacard users in Asia Pacific last year, with corresponding billings of
over US$1.3 billion.

With the continuous rollout of new 3G networks and 3.5G/4G upgrades across
the region, Frost & Sullivan believes that there will be nearly 37 million 3G
subscribers using external wireless devices for their mobile broadband needs by
end of 2013, with estimated billable revenues of US$7.8 billion.

The uptake for these 3G devices is expected to increase after 2010 once
3G services become commercially available in most large Asian markets, it added.

Einstein said the future of 3G became much clearer last year as High Speed
Packet Access (HSPA) became the breakout technology in the region.

"We believe that the economies of scale for 3G technology will be realised
much faster. These 3G devices will be a stepping stone to 4G-embedded devices
which will eventually take mobile broadband to new heights," he added.

The 3G external broadband devices in Asia Pacific was part of the mobile and
wireless growth partnership service programme, which also includes research in
WiMAX, emerging mobile markets, mobile advertising, location-based services and
mobile content.

-- BERNAMA