The mobile broadband market is set to continue its meteoric rise over the next three years, according to a new study.

A recently-released report from IT giant IBM predicts that the sector will see growth of 36 per cent by 2011.

Also foreseen is the increased demand for email and entertainment services via mobile broadband in the same period.

Another element of the research which has provoked discussion is the finding that over 50 per cent of consumers quizzed by IBM said that they preferred mobile broadband to the fixed-line alternative.

On this finding, Tech Watch's David Allen commented: "The two cannot be really compared like for like as they offer different services, but for a basic internet user who is looking to surf the internet and check their emails, then the services provided could be compared."