Mobile technology has come a long way from its early days of hosting voice calls on bulky phones with dodgy reception. Today, mobile technology brings the entire internet to the palms of people’s hands, and the number of people connected to the global mobile network is rapidly growing around the world. As mobile technology advances and demand for mobile coverage and capabilities increases, the June 2014 Ericsson Mobility Report explores the future of the mobile market in coming years.
In 2013, there were approximately 6.7 billion mobile subscriptions around the world. By 2019, this number is expected to grow to 9.3 billion subscriptions; 5.3 billion of these subscriptions will be smartphones. This growth is occurring in all global regions, although in markedly different ways for each. In emerging mobile markets like the Asia Pacific region and Africa, the growth in subscriptions can be primarily attributed to an increase in new users who are connecting to mobile networks for the first time. In more established mobile markets like North America and Europe, the growth is primarily due to consumers adding a second mobile device, such as a tablet, to their wireless plans. The developing world is where the world will see some of the biggest growth in mobile subscriptions during this time frame. The Middle East and Africa, for example, will see a 60 percent growth in mobile subscriptions
Not only is the number of mobile users increasing, but the types of data most commonly being carried by mobile are changing as well. Video streaming will constitute more than 50 percent of mobile data traffic by 2019, up from 40 percent in 2013, while social networking will remain constant at 10 percent. This increase in mobile subscriptions combined with the growing shift toward data-heavy mobile traffic like video streaming is placing more pressure on mobile networks to carry more data faster. This has led to a push towards greater heterogeneity in global mobile networks, allowing for a more streamlined user experience and more cost effective network expansion. 4G LTE networks, the most advanced global standard for wireless communication on the market today, are carrying more data faster than ever before. A relatively new advancement in mobile technology, at the end of 2013, only 20 percent of the world’s population was covered by LTE. However, coverage is expanding rapidly, and in five years’ time, LTE will have expanded to cover more than 65 percent of the world’s population.
The progress currently being made in mobile infrastructure is landmark to say the least. The growth in subscriptions in emerging markets is an exciting indicator of development and points to a not-so-distant future in which virtually everyone in the world may be connected to one another via mobile networks. Meanwhile, improvement and expansion of the technology and infrastructure that carry mobile communications are continuing to demonstrate what possibilities the mobile sector will be capable of in coming years.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's July/August 2014 print edition.
a global affairs media network
Ericsson Mobility Report: Taking Data Faster and Farther Around the World
August 7, 2014
Mobile technology has come a long way from its early days of hosting voice calls on bulky phones with dodgy reception. Today, mobile technology brings the entire internet to the palms of people’s hands, and the number of people connected to the global mobile network is rapidly growing around the world. As mobile technology advances and demand for mobile coverage and capabilities increases, the June 2014 Ericsson Mobility Report explores the future of the mobile market in coming years.
In 2013, there were approximately 6.7 billion mobile subscriptions around the world. By 2019, this number is expected to grow to 9.3 billion subscriptions; 5.3 billion of these subscriptions will be smartphones. This growth is occurring in all global regions, although in markedly different ways for each. In emerging mobile markets like the Asia Pacific region and Africa, the growth in subscriptions can be primarily attributed to an increase in new users who are connecting to mobile networks for the first time. In more established mobile markets like North America and Europe, the growth is primarily due to consumers adding a second mobile device, such as a tablet, to their wireless plans. The developing world is where the world will see some of the biggest growth in mobile subscriptions during this time frame. The Middle East and Africa, for example, will see a 60 percent growth in mobile subscriptions
Not only is the number of mobile users increasing, but the types of data most commonly being carried by mobile are changing as well. Video streaming will constitute more than 50 percent of mobile data traffic by 2019, up from 40 percent in 2013, while social networking will remain constant at 10 percent. This increase in mobile subscriptions combined with the growing shift toward data-heavy mobile traffic like video streaming is placing more pressure on mobile networks to carry more data faster. This has led to a push towards greater heterogeneity in global mobile networks, allowing for a more streamlined user experience and more cost effective network expansion. 4G LTE networks, the most advanced global standard for wireless communication on the market today, are carrying more data faster than ever before. A relatively new advancement in mobile technology, at the end of 2013, only 20 percent of the world’s population was covered by LTE. However, coverage is expanding rapidly, and in five years’ time, LTE will have expanded to cover more than 65 percent of the world’s population.
The progress currently being made in mobile infrastructure is landmark to say the least. The growth in subscriptions in emerging markets is an exciting indicator of development and points to a not-so-distant future in which virtually everyone in the world may be connected to one another via mobile networks. Meanwhile, improvement and expansion of the technology and infrastructure that carry mobile communications are continuing to demonstrate what possibilities the mobile sector will be capable of in coming years.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's July/August 2014 print edition.
