Broadband providers Sky and TalkTalk are missing out on potential monthly revenue of up to £36 million by not reacting early to the surge in demand for mobile broadband, according to the UK's broadband price comparison site Top 10 Broadband www.top10-broadband.co.uk .
It reckons that over the last year, mobile broadband has grown from accounting for 32% of sales through Top 10 Broadband in October 2008 to more than 50% in January 2009. In January 2008, it accounted for just 10%.
The sites points out that O2 and Virgin Media's share of the UK broadband market has grown substantially since they launched mobile broadband deals.
According to Jessica McArdle, marketing manager at Top 10 Broadband, "TalkTalk and Sky must be looking into ways of offering mobile broadband either as a standalone product or as part of a bundled deal - failing to do so would amount to commercial suicide"
Industry estimates that there are some 200,000 new mobile broadband connections every month in the UK. Top 10 Broadband calculates that the average contract comes at £15 a month on a 12 month connection, equating to an average charge of £180 per year per customer. This means that the monthly revenue available for UK ISPs stands at around £36 million.