Third generation (3G) mobile phones have come of age, with Informa Telecoms and Media revealing that 3G subscriber growth has outperformed first and second generation digital network subscriber growth in the four years since the launch of the world’s first 3G network in Japan.
According to Informa, Asia will see some of the first commercial 3G networks in the world, with South Korea’s KFT expecting to roll out HSDPA in 17 major metropolitan areas by end 2005 and aiming to expand coverage to 45 extra cities in April 2006.
Commenting on the forecasts, Gavin Patterson, analyst at Informa said: “By the end of June 2005, there was a total of 43 million 3G users worldwide, and we forecast a total of 70.6 million by the end of 2005.”
He continued: “Next year, 3G services will start to reach mass-market proportions and we are forecasting a total of 135 million 3G users by the end of 2006, rising to almost 800 million by end 2006.”
Research from In-Stat found that world-wide 3G handsets exceeded 50 million by mid 2005, with the role out of the technology creating pressure for carriers to earn cellular data revenue and spawning a multitude of cellular devices of every shape and size (see World-Wide 3G Phones Pass 50 Million).
According to Juniper Research, 3G technology is forecast to enjoy a surge in use, with subscribers predicted to reach over 300 million by 2010, up from 30 million in 2004. However, the research experts argue that 3G benefits more from its ability to accommodate a greater number of users and network traffic than its advanced service delivery (see Global Mobile Subscribers To Hit 2.7 Billion By 2010).
| |
| 3G Forecast Subscriptions (millions) |
| 2005 |
70.57 |
| 2006 |
134.85 |
| 2007 |
230.66 |
| 2008 |
379.24 |
| 2009 |
575.61 |
| 2010 |
797.27 |
| Source: Informa Telecoms & Media, November 2005 |
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