While most of us are quite accustomed to using mobile internet on our phones and tablets, a study conducted by ABI Research claims
that the market for dedicated hotspots is also set to grow despite the competition. ABI Research, a market research firm said that dedicated mobile hotspot companies are expected to announce their annual shipment at about 7 million units for 2011. The industry is likely to announce their annual revenue at $1 billion. Major player in the industry, Novatel had reported the shipment of 3 million units till October this year
The research report also states that despite the competition from internet-capable handheld devices, the dedicated hotspot market has the potential to grow to 60 million units shipment rate in five years. The industry's revenue is also expected to balloon to $5 billion during the same time period.
The report states, "The first products to reach the market in 2009 generally overshot the mass consumer population. Products were very complex to set up and catered to an IT-managed remote workgroup environment, such as a construction site or field emergency response team." However, things have changed a lot since then. The companies have introduced more compact devices and have made them simpler. The industry is also collaborating with data carrier companies to provide more push. Overall, despite the rise of smartphones and tablets, the personal hotspot devices are expected to thrive.