Smartphone Usage Expected to Skyrocket

Smartphone Usage Expected to Skyrocket

Smartphone Traffic Outperform the Rest

This year, for the first time, smartphone traffic exceeded mobile PCs, tablets and mobile routers.

Smartphone Traffic to Rocket in Six Years

Smartphone traffic will grow by a factor of 10 between 2013 and 2019, reaching 10 exabytes.

New Mobile Subscriptions This Quarter

There were 113 million new mobile subscriptions globally in Q3. Smartphones account for 55% of mobile phones sold during the third quarter of this year.

Mobile Versus Fixed Data Traffic

All mobile data traffic is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 45% between 2013 and 2019. Fixed data traffic will grow 25% for the same interval.

Top Five Countries or Regions Going Mobile

China contributed a whopping 25% of new subscriptions, adding 30 million., Africa followed with 25 million subscriptions., Close behind with 24 million was the Asian and Pacific region., India and Latin America followed with 10 and 8 million, respectively.

3G and 4G Network Forecast

90% of the world’s population will use WCDMA or HSPA, a type of 3G cellular network, by 2019. Almost 65% will be covered by 4G or LTE networks.

Video a Go-Go

Better network speeds facilitate streaming. As a result, many users—not just early adopters—watch video on mobile devices, including 41% of 65 to 69-year-olds.

Video and Gaming Drive Data Traffic

Video drives 55% of data traffic growth annually. Today it accounts for 35% of mobile data traffic and will exceed 50% in 2019. In turn, gaming drives video. 76% of U.S. Android and iPhone users aged 15 to 69 play games on mobile devices.

Streamed Music to Their Ears

Music streaming is becoming more popular. Ericsson expects audio traffic to increase at an annual rate of 40%, in line with total mobile traffic growth.

Social Networking and Web Services

By 2019, social networking and Web services each will account for 10% of mobile data traffic.

Urban Mobile Coverage Indoors

Radio signals attenuate rapidly as they travel through buildings, so material and height pose challenges to mobile coverage, one of the top five satisfaction factors of city life.

Improving Urban Mobile Coverage

Ericsson found that app coverage would improve by adding small cells outside buildings with metal-coated glass walls, or by deploying indoor solutions, like pico base stations.