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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 got a lukewarm response in terms of revenues and the number of subscribers.
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.
To discuss the current issues faced and provide insightful case studies from the region, Frost & Sullivan will host an exclusive summit titled Mobile Broadband Asia Pacific 2009 on the theme - delivering the promise of ubiquitous connectivity - on May 5, 2009 at the Sheraton Imperial, Kuala Lumpur.
Mobile Broadband Asia Pacific Summit aims to provide case studies on business strategies and to evaluate key questions that mobile operators in Southeast Asia will have to get right in order to harness the 3.5G/4G opportunity.
The summit will host senior industry practitioners, chief officers of leading corporations and renowned thought leaders of the telecom industry. The summit will also offer C-level dialogues with Asian operators on growth opportunities in the region.
Marc adds that the summit seeks to bring together operators, vendors, regulators and independent analysts from across the region to address the status quo of mobile broadband. "There are surely several new products and services that operators are evaluating. These include mobile TV, mobile payments, mobile advertising and location based services which can provide new revenue streams for operators but there are also issues pertaining to regulation, infrastructure and devices that need to be reconciled to make mobile broadband a success." Marc summarizes that the summit will be a platform for industry collaboration giving attendees a 360 degree view of Asia's mobile broadband landscape.
Speakers include senior representatives from Hutch CP Telecommunications, Qualcomm, P.T. Indosat, Celcom, SMART, Ericsson, Tata Communications, Juniper Networks, Yahoo! SouthEast Asia, and At-Life, amongst others.
The summit is designed to hold several panel discussions to boost interactivity amongst participants along with current topics like mobile broadband vision, customer experience, mitigating low-margin subscribers and mobile entertainment.
The summit is sponsored by Qualcomm, Ericsson and Juniper Networks. Media partners for the summit include Business Today, China CSR, China Newswire, China Tech News, China Wireless News, Convergence World, Developing Telecoms, mCube Digital. com, MobileIN.com, Strategic Path Asia, Telecom India Daily, Telecom Watch, Telecom Asia, What's new in mobile, Wimax.com, Wireless Asia, Wireless Business Review and ZDNet Asia. Official newswire for the summit is PRNewswire, WiMax 360 is the Online Community Partner and Mobile Entertainment Forum is the Supporting Organisation for this summit.
For more information/registration details, please visit frost-mobile.com.
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best in class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 31 offices on six continents.
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surbhi.dedhia[.]frost.com / neethiya.sadagopal[.]frost. 
