Free laptop tactic boosts mobile broadband uptake

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 18 Dec 2008 at 12:06

A new study reveals the tactic of bundling free laptops with mobile broadband contracts is proving popular with customers.

The contracts typically require the customer to take out a two-year mobile broadband contract for around £25-35 per month, with a laptop thrown in to sweeten the deal.

Vodafone and Orange have taken this one step further, offering customers Dell and Asus netbooks with embedded 3G. The tactic was questioned by analysis firm Disruptive Technologies, which produced a report claiming that by 2011 only 30% of mobile broadband subscribers would have been lured in by this method.

However, a recent study by price comparison site Top 10 Broadband refutes this claim. The site monitored sales of a 1,000 mobile broadband "free laptop" deals in November, and found the Dell Mini 9 and Asus Eee PC 901, both of which offer embedded 3G, were outselling dongle deals by a ration of three to two.

"I think when people see a free laptop offer, they start thinking, do I need laptop, will I need one in the future, even if they haven't in the past," says Jessica McArdle, marketing manager of Top 10 Broadband.

"If they see £15, or £25 per month rather than £300 up front they start considering it."

"It's like a mobile phone contract, and people are now used to paying off their hardware through a contract."

Pick up the current issue of PC Pro for the UK's largest ever group test of netbooks.