By 2017, 85 percent of the world’s population will have internet coverage via 3G and there will be close to 9 billion mobile subscriptions, compared to 6 billion at the end of 2011, according to Ericsson’s second Traffic and Market Report. Speaking at a press event in San Francisco, company CEO Hans Vestberg, predicted that this rapid growth will bring the number of mobile broadband subscriptions to over 5.1 billion by 2017. Currently, the Ericsson study shows there are about 700 million smartphones in use and this number is expected to pass the 1 billion milestone by the end of the year. Despite the bullish predictions, and the finding that Ericsson's market share in mobile infrastructure has risen to 38%, Vestberg struck a cautious note in saying that the current environment for telco spending remains constrained, particularly in Europe.
Other Ericsson executives speaking on the panel in San Francisco highlighted trends showing the smartphones are becoming deeply entrenched in people's ordinary lives. Internet access has quickly become a prerequisite for many activities and all kinds of devices. On the research front, Ericsson remains committed to open standards and leveraging it vast patent portfolio.
Some highlights of the Ericsson Traffic and Market Report:
- Mobile subscriptions reached 6.2 billion in Q1 2012 and 170 million new mobile subscriptions were added during the quarter.
- Global data traffic is expected to grow 15 times by the end of 2017.
- By 2017, urban and metro areas will generate 60 percent of all mobile traffic, although they will be home to only 30 percent of the population.
