Mobile broadband supply may soon be unable to keep pace with demand, the head of Ofcom has claimed.

Ed Richards, chief executive at the media regulator, has warned that the increasing use of dongles and web-enabled smartphones is putting severe pressure on mobile networks.

He suggested that "the beginnings of a capacity pinch" are being witnessed as more consumers download media-rich content, and the UK runs out of available spectrum upon which to provide mobile services.

"While demand is booming – mobile data usage has grown by more than 1,800 per cent in the UK in the past two years – the frequencies, or spectrum, upon which it and so many other similar services are carried have not," Mr Richards commented.

He explained that new spectrum cannot physically be created, only re-allocated from other services.

Mr Richards' comments may concern both consumers and internet service providers, in light of a recent forecast from Infonetics Research.

The analyst firm believes more than 1.8 billion people will be using mobile broadband services around the world by 2014.

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