CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom-More than 5 million Western Europeans will use third-generation mobile devices by the end of this year, but subscriber numbers will remain low until at least 2005, according to Analysys Research.
By the end of 2004, Analysys predicts there will be 5.3 million 3G subscribers in Western Europe, up from 600,000 at the end of 2003. The research firm expects subscriber growth to stall until 2005, while network operators and handset manufacturers work through problems associated with new mass market launches. Then, from 2005 to 2009, the group expects subscribers to grow a whopping 70 percent, to 240 million Western European subscribers.
“Several Western European operators have launched 3G data services in 2004, increasing the likelihood that others like Orange, T-Mobile and TIM will be successful in entering the 3G mass market during the year,” said Ariel Dajes, author of the report. “Recent market developments also make it more likely that handset manufacturers like Nokia will be able to deliver sufficient numbers of 3G handsets of the right quality in the second half of 2004.”
