- L2 d* V' `; Y" @, E8 TReuters ) r& \7 H* N$ x* b% R+ ^ U9 MTuesday, June 24, 2008; 9:18 AM $ R9 W0 j$ l- R& w# n, |$ c8 s8 E8 s7 S# _# T
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - European mobile carriers have crossed the 100 million mark with subscribers on their third-generation networks, market research firm Informa Telecoms and Media said. " O( Z7 M0 H. g6 U4 O- c5 z1 @ % C4 |( q6 V% T, L. PAt the end of May, Europe had 101.5 million 3G subscriptions out of a total of mobile subscriptions of 910.8 million, a 11.1 percent penetration, Informa said, adding it only counted devices that were actively used for voice or data services or both. 9 p% w1 g/ l4 Z8 h# p" Z( d* Y1 G6 _6 R% a1 x5 x0 @% M
"A slight slowdown in the growth in WCDMA handset sales in Western Europe in (the first quarter) was counteracted by an acceleration in sales of WCDMA/HSPA data cards and modems, which boosted the size of the total 3G market, particularly in Sweden and Austria," the firm said. 0 A+ O( @) k" a4 h: ^ : p9 ~* w+ B0 D5 FMobile operators are increasingly looking to data services, provided over third-generation networks, to drive growth in mature markets where revenues from voice calls have begun to stagnate or fall.+ a' G. V' c1 q2 A3 L! B2 M9 m+ d
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Informa data shows that the percentage of 3G subscribers is highest in Sweden, Norway and Italy with well over 25 percent, followed by Portugal, Austria and Spain.