Asia's mobile subscriber total is expected to surpass 2 billion subscribers by 2012 when 63 percent of the regions' residents are expected to own a mobile phone. However, the fact remains that in 2008 only 8 percent of the region's subscriber base was using 3G and launches in several Asian markets have left much to be desired in terms of subscriber and revenue uptake.

Marc Einstein, Industry Manager at Frost & Sullivan believes that after more than five years of hype, the mobile broadband revolution has started to materialize. He comments, "Today's mobile networks are truly able to compete with wire-line offerings for the first time. This is opening doors for an array of new products and services that can be delivered over a wireless medium. The Asia Pacific region continues to lead this charge, and with 3G coming into many new markets this year - China, India, Vietnam and Thailand - there is considerably more growth and innovation to come in this region."

Today, the mobile device has moved to house beyond basic applications such as polyphonic ringtones and music downloads and has created a new wave of interest in next generation applications such as mobile payments, mobile advertising, location based services and 3G modem uses.

Mobile broadband continues to attract investment as an access enabler in countries with poor fixed line infrastructure and as an experience enhancer in developed markets. The key drivers are the increasing popularity of smaller notebooks and a clear roadmap to long term evolution (LTE). New generations of mobile broadband technology will open new avenues for growth in Asia's wireless markets, but operators will have to be increasingly careful amidst a global recession to ensure that new services and applications will be both successful with customers as well as profitable.