90% to have a smartphone by 2020

90% of the global population over six years old will have a smartphone by 2020, with subscriptions expected to top 6.1 billion, according to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report.

So far in 2014 there have been 800 million new smartphone subscriptions this year, taking the total to 2.7 billion – with the fastest growth coming from India and China with 18 million and 12 million net additions in Q3 2014, respectively.

Mobile video traffic is expected to increase tenfold in the same period to account for 55% of all mobile data traffic.

In 4G-dominated networks, video currently constitutes 45-55% of mobile traffic, driven largely by increased usage of video streaming and improvements in the mobile video experience.

Commenting on the report, Ericsson’s senior vice president, chief strategy officer and head of M&A, said: “The falling cost of handsets, coupled with improved usability and increasing network coverage, are factors that are making mobile technology a global phenomenon that will soon be available to the vast majority of the world’s population, regardless of age or location.”

The full report can be found here.