Should operators subsidize laptops?

A recent report from Pyramid Research indicates that wireless carriers that sell laptops in their stores may help improve uptake of their wireless broadband services. According to the report, Russia's MTS, Telefonica's O2, T-Mobile, Orange, Vodafone Globul and PLDT all sell laptops in some of their markets. BusinessWeek suggests that carriers should even subsidize laptops in order to drive demand for their data networks.

Could the trend take off in the U.S.? Verizon Wireless, for one, says it has no intention of subsidizing laptops, according to a company spokeswoman. The company's BroadbandAccess service is embedded in notebooks from the likes of Dell, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba and Panasonic, and customers can click on the VZAccess manager to subscribe to service. The operator also offers daily use packages at $15 for 24 hours.

For more on the trend:
- read this BusinessWeek article