Some 70 percent of mobile-broadband subscribers will use a more complicated version of 3G by 2012, a report by analyst firm Juniper Research predicts. Total mobile-broadband subscribers will number 1.2 billion by then--or nearly one in three mobile subscribers worldwide. Known as HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access), the latest version of 3G delivers mobile-broadband speeds in excess of 500 kilobits per second and up to several megabits per second. There are currently about 5 million HSPA subscribers worldwide, according to UMTS Forum. There are currently 128 HSDPA-enabled devices--which provide data downlink speeds 5 to 10 times faster than those of standard wireless devices--according to the GSM Association. Mobile-broadband subscriber numbers are likely to surge as older hardware in developing countries is replaced by newer, broadband-enabled technology.

Want to read more on mobile broadband?
- see the article in Cnet