"Several operators have touted the idea of plugging the ARPU decline with value-added services," she says. "Yet we are yet to see anything sufficiently compelling in either the handset or the laptop space."

Ovum's research in the past has been high on the potential growth of mobile broadband services. In a study published last November, Ovum projected that wireless connections worldwide would grow by an estimated 6.3% in 2009 over 2008, with particularly strong growth in the United States and Canada. The major driver in continued growth in the North American mobile market is the fact that North American countries still have relatively low rates of mobile penetration, with the United States (85%) and Canada (60%) trailing behind several countries in East Asia and Western Europe, Ovum said.