An interesting report has just been release by Consultancy Pyramid Research; it would appear carriers across the globe, from France to Russia seem to be offering laptops in their shops. Some of the wireless service providers practicing this are Telefonica O2, T-Mobile, Orange, Russia’s MTS, Globul, Vodafone, and PLDT.
It appears that these carriers have found that bundling laptops with their wireless service attracts new custom while retaining old customers just as much as offering a free mobile handset. According to Pyramid: “Bundling mobile broadband and notebooks ….will drive uptake of mobile broadband services and create opportunities to cross-sell broadband services for integrated fixed-mobile providers.”
Maybe this is something the U.S. carriers should consider taking aboard as so far they have failed to speed up demand for their new high-speed networks. As wireless speeds increase it is more feasible that users would access the net via the carrier’s high speed connection rather than DSL or cable, and maybe if Verizon Wireless offered free laptops to those who sign on for mobile broadband, maybe the many young professionals and students could be interested.
Source — businessweek