In an interim update to the Traffic and Market Data Report published in November 2011, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) today showed that global mobile penetration reached 85 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, and mobile subscriptions now total around 6 billion. Here are some key takeaway from report:
- Global mobile penetration reached 85 percent in Q4 2011 and mobile subscriptions now total around 6 billion
- Mobile subscribers reached around 4.1 billion in Q4 2011, meaning that nearly 60 percent of people alive today have at least one mobile subscription
- Data traffic doubled between Q3 2010 and Q3 2011. The quarterly growth between Q2 and Q3 2011 was 18 percent
- India and China together accounted for approximately 35 percent of the estimated 180 million new subscriptions added in the fourth quarter of 2011 Brazil, Indonesia and Bangladesh follows in terms of new subscriptions.
Though there are now around 6 billion mobile subscriptions, this figure equates to around 4.1 billion subscribers, since many subscribers have several subscriptions. Nevertheless, nearly 60 percent of people alive today now have at least one mobile subscription.
Overall, mobile subscriptions increased by around 13 percent year-on-year and 3 percent quarter-on-quarter. Around 75 percent of total subscriptions are GSM, while 15 percent are WCDMA/HSPA.
Mobile broadband subscriptions increased by around 60 percent year-on-year and now number close to 1 billion. There continues to be strong momentum for smartphone uptake in all regions. Approximately 30 percent of all handsets sold in 2011 were smartphones, compared to around 20 percent in 2010. However, smartphones account for only around 10 percent of the worldwide installed base of subscriptions, which suggest there is still considerable room for further uptake.
The growth in mobile data traffic continues. Data traffic doubled between the third quarters of 2010 and 2011, matching the annual growth rate recorded between the second quarters of 2010 and 2011. Quarterly growth between the second and third quarters of last year was 18 percent.
Mobile voice traffic has doubled over the past four years and continues to increase at a steady pace. This is especially true in regions where there has been a considerable increase in subscriptions, such as in the developing nations in Asia.
The traffic generated by mobile PC users varies widely between individuals and markets, but Ericsson estimates that the global average is now around 2GB per month.
Read the entire report here.
