The market research firm iSuppli predicts that 73.4% of Earth’s population now owns a mobile phone. Thanks to demand in the emerging economies, analysts at iSuppli are predicting that there are now 5 billion mobile subscriptions. That works out to nearly 3 out of every 4 people on this planet will own a mobile phone.
Dr. Jagdish Rebello, iSuppli senior director, and principal wireless analyst believes that mobile phones are driving the tech industry. Rebello says “… the proliferation of wireless communications stands out as one of the most significant phenomena in the history of technology.” He says that wireless communication is now. “ … a basic staple like food, clothing, and shelter.”
“Wireless now represents the biggest stage that any technology market has ever played on, offering unlimited opportunities for members of the mobile communications supply chain,” Rebello said in a press release. “Because of the prevalence of mobile communications, the focus of the global technology supply chain has shifted away from the slower-growing computer market toward fast-expanding wireless-oriented platforms he says, ”The vast size of the installed base means wireless delivers greater opportunities for content and service developers to reach a large part of the population. Furthermore, the evolution of mobile handsets into smartphones is leading to the deployment of more value-added services, software, and components.”
Wireless subscriptions vary widely by region
iSuppli says wireless subscriptions vary widely by region. At the low-end is the combined Africa and Middle East region at 50% to 157.6% in Western Europe. The global installed base of wireless devices will amount to 4.9 billion at the end of 2010. The remaining subscribers will be accounted for by added Subscriber Identification (SIM) modules used in mobile handsets and services to Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications systems. IntoMobile points out that 47.6 million subscriptions were added per month since December 2008 to reach current levels.
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.