SOURCE: iGR
March 20, 2012 06:00 ET
New Research From iGR Shows Mobile Penetration Growth by Region and Technology Over the Next Five Years
AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwire - Mar 20, 2012) - Worldwide wireless connections are growing briskly and will surpass 6 billion in 2013 to reach 7.2 billion in 2016. iGR expects that the global wireless penetration rate will rise at an annually compounded rate of 4.8 percent over the next five years from 77 percent in 2011 to 97.4 percent in 2016. The compounded annual growth rate of LTE connections between 2011 and 2016 is forecast to reach over 139 percent.
A new report from iGR, Global Connections Forecast 2011-2016, provides an overview of the worldwide mobile connection market as well as detailed information on the various regions around the globe. These top‐level forecasts alone show how people the world over increasingly prefer mobile devices as their main voice and data communications tool. In some regions, a mobile phone / smartphone may be the user's only connection to the Internet.
Note that this study forecasts mobile connections. Connections can be for many types of mobile devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, mobile hotspots, portable modems, and embedded modems. There are more connections than there are actual people or subscribers because some people have more than one mobile device and/or more than one subscription to a wireless service. For example, a smartphone user in a developed region may also carry a tablet with a 3G/4G connection.
"With more and more people using multiple mobile devices, simply counting subscribers and end users is no longer sufficient," said Iain Gillott, president and founder of iGR, a market research consultancy focused on the wireless & mobile industry. "Just ten years ago, it was inconceivable that there would be more than 7 billion mobile connections in the world. Our latest study shows that in the next few years, on average, there will be 97 mobile connections for every 100 people in the world."
Aside from the raw increase in the number of connections, the other major change over the forecast period is the shift from 2G to 3G -- and, toward the end of the forecast, to 4G. For example, as 2G connections decline over the next 5 years, 3G connections will become predominant, rising to make up 67 percent of all connections in 2015. Fourth generation technologies -- primarily LTE -- are still in their early stages, but will see drastic growth and reach 685 million connections in 2016.
iGR's new market research report, Global Mobile Connections Forecast, 2011 - 2016, looks at the world's mobile connection data holistically and addresses the following questions:
- How many wireless connections are there globally and in each major geographic region?
- What is the split of those connections by technology type -- both air interface and generation?
- What are the key connection-related trends by technology and region?
Data and forecasts are included for North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East and Africa. Network technologies included in the report are CDMA 1x, EV-DO and Rev A, LTE, WiMAX, GSM/GPRS, UMTS, HSPA/HSPA+ and iDEN.
The new report can be purchased and downloaded directly from iGR's website, providing immediate access to a digital copy of the research. Alternatively, contact Amanda Louie at (512) 554-1701 or at Amandal@iGR-inc.com for additional details on this report as well as information on theWireless and Mobile Landscape advisory service.
Global Mobile Connections Forecast, 2011 - 2016:https://igr-inc.com/Advisory_And_Subscription_Services/Wireless_And_Mobile_Landscape/global_mobile_connections_forecast_2016.asp
Wireless and Mobile Landscape Research Advisory and Subscription Service:https://igr-inc.com/Advisory_And_Subscription_Services/Wireless_And_Mobile_Landscape/
