GSMA, the leading industry organization representing mobile network operators globally said in its recent study “Smartphone forecasts and assumptions, 2007-2020” that by 2020, two thirds of mobile connection worldwide will be on smartphones. The study which was conducted by GSMA's research arm, GSMA Intelligence, said that there are more than two billion mobile connections worldwide today with smartphones making up one third of these.
According to GSMA Intelligence, the number of smartphone connections will grow three times in the next six year, reaching 6 billion by 2020. The remaining 3 billion connections, it says, will be made up by basic phones, feature phones and data terminals such as tablets, dongles and routers. GSMA highlighted that the developing world which accounts for two-thirds of smartphone connections today will take up an even higher share in the market, making up 80% of all smartphone connections worldwide. Within the developing world, Asia Pacific remains at the forefront, accounting for about half of global smartphone connections.
GSMA shared the following data the the number of smartphone connections for Q2 2014.
| Country |
Smartphone connections (millions) |
|
|
1 |
China |
629.2 |
|
2 |
United States of America |
196.8 |
|
3 |
Brazil |
141.8 |
|
4 |
India |
111.0 |
|
5 |
Indonesia |
95.0 |
|
6 |
Russian Federation |
83.9 |
|
7 |
Japan |
66.1 |
|
8 |
Germany |
48.5 |
|
9 |
United Kingdom |
45.4 |
|
10 |
France |
43.5 |
According to GSMA Intelligence, the adoption of smartphones is growing in tandem with the fall in handset prices due to entry of low-cost vendors, the increasing dependence on digital lifestyles which necessitates constant access to mobile data especially to rich content and services as well as operators' effort to bundle their own smartphone brands in their data packages.
"The smartphone has sparked a wave of global innovation that has brought new services to millions and efficiencies to businesses of every type. As the study released today shows, smartphones will be the driving force of mobile industry growth over the next six years, with one billion new smartphone connections expected over the next 18 months alone. In the hands of consumers, these devices are improving living standards and changing lives, especially in developing markets, while contributing to growing economies by stimulating entrepreneurship. As the industry evolves, smartphones are becoming lifestyle hubs that are creating opportunities for mobile industry players in vertical markets such as financial services, healthcare, home automation and transport.”
- Hyunmi Yang, Chief Strategy Officer at the GSMA
