Wireless broadband is eating away at DSL connections and 6 million U.S. households now exclusively use wireless as their only in-home broadband service, reported Strategy Analytics.
The 6 million connections account for 6.9% of total US broadband connections which is a 430,000 net increase over 2010.These “Mobile-Only” customers typically connect to broadband using 3G or 4G-enabled smartphones or PC dongles, and are unable or unwilling to use a wired broadband service such as cable, DSL or fiber optics.
"We see two parallel markets for 'Mobile Only' in the US: users in remote or underserved areas where dependable fixed broadband is unavailable, and cost-conscious casual users, who are unlikely to exceed imposed data caps, and for whom mobile data rates are ‘good enough," said Strategy Analytics Ben Piper.
Mobile network capacity and traffic are expected explode in the near future, Strategy Analytics does not anticipate 4G taking over as a primary access medium in the home.