OYSTER BAY, NY – Total shipments of mobile broadband modems used in non-smartphone mobile computers, tablets and CE devices are expected to drop 8% year-over-year to 50 million units for full-year 2015, says ABI Research.

As portable computing shipments have declined, so have the key aftermarket upgrades, the research firm says.

“USB modems are the market anomaly because of their exclusive use on traditional computing platforms,” says Jeff Orr, research director at ABI Research. “Even though the Windows 10 OS release is breathing new life into an aging laptop installed base, it does not translate into increased investment for mobile broadband.”

ABI Research estimates USB modem shipments will decline 13% year-over-year.

Outside of USB, makers of embedded modem modules and mobile hotspot routers remain upbeat about the market potential. The company finds modem modules and mobile hotspot router unit volume will stay roughly flat (+/- 5%) year-over-year, while revenues for these modem types will contract 10% to 15% to drive more interest in mobile broadband adoption.