Mobile operators are adding an increasing number of data devices to their product portfolios in a bid to capture data revenues, according to a new Wireless Intelligence study.

A new report that tracked the products on offer from almost 50 global operators found that data devices such as dongles, tablets, mobile hotspots and laptops now account for about 16 percent of operator device offerings, on average, with traditional handsets accounting for the remainder.

Tablets now account for around 5 percent of device portfolios, despite being a category that was virtually non-existent when the study was last conducted in February 2010.

The study also identified a significant decline in the number of WCDMA-only devices in operator portfolios over the last two years as these were replaced by HSPA-enabled devices, reflecting the fact that HSPA now accounts for over three-quarters of 3G connections worldwide. 88 percent of 3G products tracked in the study supported HSPA.

Virtually all data devices and around two-thirds of handsets use some form of 3G, the study found. In total, 3G devices (of all types) accounted for three-quarters of the products offered by operators in the study, up from 60 percent two years ago.

"The rapid migration from 2G to 3G is even more significant in developing economies, which saw sharp increases in the presence of 3G handsets," said Wireless Intelligence senior analysts and report author Joss Gillet.