Bundled smartphone and tablet PC tariffs will become crucial to mobile operator’s price plans in the coming years, as more cellular-enabled tablets hit the streets.
Juniper Research predicts tablets with cellular connectivity will become more prominent in next five years, particularly in emerging markets where fixed-line connections are tipped to continue lagging wireless broadband access.
“Multi-device plans (for a smartphone and a tablet) will overcome the problem of consumers not wanting to pay another subscription,” analyst Daniel Ashdown argues.
The firm notes the growing interest of traditional PC vendors in the tablet format will fuel a surge in sales of the devices, predicting shipments will grow from 55.2 million in 2011 to 253 million in 2016. It also forecasts that enterprises will account for a fifth of all tablet shipments in 2016, as businesses seek to capitalize on the form factor’s potential.