Story by
Ernst-Jan Pfauth
Ernst-Jan Pfauth is the former Editor in Chief of Internet at NRC Handelsblad, as well as an acclaimed technology author and columnist. He a Ernst-Jan Pfauth is the former Editor in Chief of Internet at NRC Handelsblad, as well as an acclaimed technology author and columnist. He also served as The Next Web’s blog’s first blogger and Editor in Chief, back in 2008. At De Correspondent, Ernst-Jan serves as publisher, fostering the expansion of the platform.
According to the GSM Association, the EU’s mobile data market grew by 40 percent to 7 billion Euros in 2007- text messages not included. Operators invested more than 20 billion Euros in enhancing their mobile networks and services.
This has paid off, as in the year to April 2008, the number of 3G users in the EU doubled to 112 million, that’s 22.5 percent of all Europeans. And here comes one exciting conclusion: Europe has adopted 3G faster than any other region of the world. In North America, 18.4 percent of the people are using 3G, in the Asia-Pacific region the percentage is 3.7. One of the reasons for this major increase is 3G adoption is competition from technologies like Wi-Fi, since it makes the prices drop. Tom Phillips, Chief Government & Regulatory Affairs Officer of the GSMA said in the press release that “this gives mobile users the convenience of being able to access email, the Internet and other multimedia services wherever they travel within Europe. We expect prices to continue to fall as operators further innovate around tariffs and more and more Europeans use these services as a part of their everyday lives.”
I wonder how big the influence of the upcoming iPhone 3G will be. That shiny object might boost the number of adopters even more.