There are now over 1.6 billion 3G and 4G connections in the world, according to the latest numbers by Wireless Intelligence, the research arm of the GSM Association. Put another way, use of mobile broadband now account for nearly one quarter of the world’s total connections.
HSPA now makes up the majority of mobile broadband connections and is the fastest growing wireless technology ever. LTE still accounts for only 4% of connections.
Click to see the full version
There are a few interesting facts to be found in the infographic:
- Asia, which already has the highest number of connections, shows a penetration only 18%. We can expect to see tremendous growth in this area over the next few years.
- The Americas, which includes both North and South America, accounts for the second largest block of connections. With penetration more than twice as high, annual growth is expected to be only half that of Asia.
- Africa will show the highest annual growth rates (projected at 80%) as mobile broadband is just getting established there.
- Oceania, the smallest block, also has the highest penetration rate at 74%.
Bottom line, while some markets are reaching maturity, there is definitely plenty of room for growth for the next few years.
Wireless Intelligence‘s definition of mobile broadband includes technologies that include LTE, WiMAX, HSPA, and China’s TD-SCDMA.
Read more: Wireless Intelligence