Mobile Providers Will Sell 60% of Internet-connected Mobile Devices by 2013

Carriers are becoming a significant channel for all Internet-connected mobile devices, including netbooks and mobile PCs, says In-Stat.

By 2013, In-Stat anticipates that over 60 percent of all the Internet-connected mobile devices sold will be through carrier channels. In large part that is because smartphones increasingly are Internet-connected devices, and mobile retail outlets account for the lion's share of sales at the moment. What is new is the addition of netbooks to the lineup.

In-Stat projects that nearly 31 percent of notebooks will be sold through carriers in 2013. That would make mobile service providers a major channel for sales of netbooks, which might otherwise be purchased through a mass market retailer.

“In the U.S., carriers are charging up to $60 per month for a two year contract with the subsidized purchase of a netbook,” says Jim McGregor In-Stat analyst. “While the subsidy costs the carrier $50–$100, it generates $1,440 or more in service fees over the life of the contract.”

The total available market for Internet-connected devices is projected to grow at a 22.3 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2013.