In Australia, mobile broadband connections for netbooks, laptops, PCs and other devices grew around 81% in the year to December 2009. However, competition is fierce, service differentiation is difficult and operators must continue investing in more capacity to support growth, says one of Australia’s leading analysts.

Nathan Burley, an analyst in the Ovum Asia-Pacific research team, will speak to AMTA Members about the latest industry trends and convergence issues, on Thursday, April 29, at 4.30pm until 5.30pm at Optus, 367 Collins Street at AMTA Networking Forum.

He said in a preview of his address to the Forum on April 29 that competition in the Australian mobile broadband market is fierce. VHA and Optus have sought to close the gap with Telstra on coverage and their networks are expanding into more areas. Expanding 3G footprints, network speeds and capacity, along with price cutting will drive further competition and uptake.

“A significant low-end Internet connectivity segment (essentially dial-up and ADSL1 customers), has speed and download requirements that could comfortably be provided by HSPA at competitive price points. As entry-level mobile broadband is cheaper, some users in such segments will substitute fixed for mobile broadband. Broadband performance demands and price expectations will be crucial to determine the size of this market,” he said.

“Both the positive impacts (revenue from providing backhaul) and negative impacts (substitution to wireless) of mobile broadband must be factored into the business case for the government’s A$43 billion national broadband network (NBN).

“In October 2009, Optus stated that traffic is growing 18% month-on-month, while Telstra (which has a bigger installed base) has stated that mobile data traffic is doubling every eight months. Investment is needed to support growth and guard against service degradation, and managing capacity will be an increasingly important differentiator. Significantly more capacity will also be opened up by new spectrum from the digital dividend and 2.5GHz bands, which should become available for LTE in the medium term.

“Volume-based data pricing will continue to be the mainstay pricing scheme, especially in the consumer market. However, numerous alternatives are available which can help differentiate and improve network utilisation. Quality of service (QoS) and lower prioritisation will be used to segment tariffs and ensure performance, especially in times of congestion.”

Mr Burley provides research and strategic advice to wireless vendors and operators. He evaluates wireless strategies and reports on the opportunities and threats in the wireless market.

He has a Bachelor of Engineering degree (Telecommunications, 1st Class Honours) from RMIT University in Melbourne, where he specialised in wireless and RF.

The formal presentation, including questions, will be from 4.30 - 5.30pm at Optus, Level 17 in the Boardroom. Informal networking, including drinks and canapés between 5.30 - 6.30pm.

Download registration form here.