There are now over five billion mobile subscribers around the world, reports the GSMA.
Citing data from its GSMA Intelligence arm, the global mobile operator alliance notes that this means two thirds of the world’s population are now connected to mobile networks, with the latest billion subscribers having accrued over the last four years.
Europe is the region with the highest mobile penetration rate, with 86 percent of citizens subscribed, while Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest rate at 44 percent. Fifty-five percent of the world’s subscribers are in APAC, with over a billion in China and 730 million in India.
Looking ahead, the GSMA projects that the number of mobile subscribers around the world will reach 5.7 billion by 2020, and that India will account for the biggest share of that growth.
The numbers are encouraging for the mobile industry in general, and also bode well for interest in the GSMA’s ambitious lineup of worldwide events this year.
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