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Ericsson releases its second Traffic and Market Report – On the Pulse of the Networked Society, revealing that by 2017, 85 percent of the world’s population will have 3G coverage
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50 percent of the world’s population will be covered by 4G in 2017
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Smartphone subscriptions expected to reach 3 billion in 2017
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Mobile subscriptions reached 6.2 billion in Q1 2012 and 170 million new mobile subscriptions were added during the quarter
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Global data traffic to grow 15 times by the end of 2017
For many people around the world, the mobile phone will be the only means of accessing the internet. According to Ericsson’s (NASDAQ:ERIC, news, filings) second Traffic and Market Report – On the Pulse of the Networked Society, released today, 85 percent of the world’s population will have internet coverage via 3G by 2017 and there will be close to nine billion mobile subscriptions, compared to six billion by the end of 2011. Machine-to-machine subscriptions will add to this figure.
Mobile broadband subscriptions, meanwhile, are forecast to reach five billion in 2017, compared to one billion by the end of 2011.
Douglas Gilstrap, Senior Vice President and head of Strategy, Ericsson says: “Today, people see access to the internet as a prerequisite for any device. This mindset results in growing demand for mobile broadband and increased data traffic. Operators recognize this business opportunity and are aiming to facilitate this growth and provide good user experience with fast data speeds through high capacity networks. Today, around 75% of the HSPA networks worldwide have been upgraded to a peak speed of 7.2 Mbps or above and around 40% has been upgraded to 21 Mbps.”
In the report, Ericsson also predicts that by 2017 half of the world’s population will be covered by LTE/4G networks. Smartphone subscriptions will number around three billion in 2017 – compared to 700 million in 2011.
Total mobile data traffic continues to increase – between Q1 2011 and Q1 2012 data traffic doubled – and the prime driver is video. Smartphones are also, and will remain, a key data traffic driver. The mobile data traffic will grow by 15 times between 2011 and 2017.
The data in the report also shows variations between countries and regions. In the case of mobile net additions, China added the most subscriptions for a single country in Q1 2012 with 39 million, followed by India with 25 million. The Asia Pacific region added in total 93 million subscriptions, followed by Africa with 30 million.
The main continuous trend identified in the report is that everything is going mobile. This evolution is mainly being driven by people’s increasing demand for anywhere, anytime connectivity and the use of video, cloud-based services and the internet – but also by machine-to-machine connectivity.
About this report
Ericsson has performed measurements since the early days of mobile broadband from a large base of live networks covering all regions of the world.
The aim of this report is to share analysis based on these measurements, internal forecasts and other relevant studies to provide insights into the current traffic and market trends.
We will continue to share traffic and market data, along with our analysis, on a regular basis.
For more information and to download the full report please visit: www.ericsson.com/traffic-market-report
NOTES TO EDITORS
Press briefings will be held in San Francisco, June 5, London, June 6 and at Ericsson Headquarters in Stockholm on June 7.
If you interested in attending, please contact media.relations@ericsson.com to RSVP and to get information on location and time.
For more information and to download the full report please visit: www.ericsson.com/traffic-market-report
Press release about the first Traffic and Market Data Report, November 7, 2011:
http://www.ericsson.com/thecompany/press/releases/2011/11/1561267
Photo and bio of Douglas Gilstrap
Download high-resolution photos and broadcast-quality video at www.ericsson.com/press
Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of communications technology and services. We are enabling the Networked Society with efficient real-time solutions that allow us all to study, work and live our lives more freely, in sustainable societies around the world.
Our offering comprises services, software and infrastructure within Information and Communications Technology for telecom operators and other industries. Today more than 40 percent of the world’s mobile traffic goes through Ericsson networks and we support customers’ networks servicing more than 2.5 billion subscribers.
We operate in 180 countries and employ more than 100,000 people. Founded in 1876, Ericsson is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2011 the company’s net sales were SEK 226.9 billion (USD 35.0 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ, New York stock exchanges.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT
Ericsson Corporate Public & Media Relations
Phone: +46 10 719 69 92
E-mail: media.relations@ericsson.com
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