Mobile subscriptions continue to grow

The number of mobile subscriptions worldwide has grown approximately 7% year on year during the third quarter of 2013, according to Ericsson.

The company’s Mobility Report for the third quarter shows that total mobile subscriptions up to and including Q3 2013 are at around 6.6 billion, including 113 million new subscriptions added during the third quarter.

While smartphones accounted for 55% of all mobile phones sold in Q3 2013, global mobile broadband subscriptions grew by around 40% year on year and are expected to exceed 2 billion by the end of 2013.

Between 2013 and 2019, mobile broadband subscriptions will increase fourfold.

All regions across the globe show growth in mobile subscriptions. While this is driven by new subscribers in Asia Pacific, in more mature markets such as North America and Western Europe, the growth is limited and comes from the increasing number of subscriptions per individual – for example, adding a tablet.

Currently, 80% of Middle East & Africa subscriptions are 2G, however the report expects the same number to be 3G/4G by 2019. 85% of North American mobile subscriptions are expected to be LTE (Long Term Evolution) by 2019.