Mobile subscriptions are expected to reach 9.3 billion by 2019, and more than 60 percent of these – 5.6 billion – will be for smartphones, latest Ericsson Mobility Report has shown.
To support the smartphone user experience, WCDMA/HSPA networks are predicted to cover 90 percent of the world’s population by 2019, the report said.
Moreover, almost two-thirds (65 percent) of the world’s population will be covered by 4G/LTE networks. Currently, smartphones represent 25-30 percent of all mobile phone subscriptions globally, according to the Ericsson report, yet they account for the majority (55 percent) of mobile phones sold in the third quarter.
Over the forecast period, smartphone uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa will be relatively rapid, according to analysts, driven partly by low-cost smartphones entering the market and the increasing demand for content services to be delivered over mobile devices.
Douglas Gilstrap, senior vice president and head of strategy at Ericsson, said, the rapid pace of smartphone uptake has been phenomenal and is set to continue. “It took more than five years to reach the first billion smartphone subscriptions, but it will take less than two to hit the 2 billion mark1. Between now and 2019, smartphone subscriptions will triple.
“Interestingly, this trend will be driven by uptake in China and other emerging markets as lower-priced smartphone models become available,” he added. Smartphone traffic will grow by 10 times between 2013 and 2019, reaching 10 exabytes. Video is growing 55 percent annually, and will represent more than 50 percent of the mobile data traffic, while social networking and web services will account for around 10 percent, each in 2019.
This edition of Ericsson Mobility Report includes an appendix, which provides data and insights on telecommunication trends in sub-Saharan Africa over the next 5 years. Mobile subscriptions are projected to grow to around 930 million by the end of 2019, with a 446 percent growth in low cost smartphones, PCs and tablets, and increased viewing of video.
Ben Uzor Jr
