Smartphone Subscriptions Will Reach 5.6 Billion By 2019


smartphone subscriptions worldwide

In case the point has not been adequately made, your business must be accessible via mobile. By 2019, smartphone subscriptions worldwide are predicted to reach about 5.6 billion. This means more of your existing and potential customers will be mobile, making it the best way to engage them.

The latest data comes from the Ericsson Mobility Report, created by the communications technology and services provider from studies of broadband mobile networks around the world.

In a prepared release, issued with the report, Senior Vice President and Head of Strategy, Douglas Gilstrap, explains:

“The rapid pace of smartphone uptake has been phenomenal and is set to continue. It took more than five years to reach the first billion smartphone subscriptions, but it will take less than two to hit the 2 billion mark.”

The report reveals that mobile phone subscriptions will reach 9.3 billion worldwide by 2019. Of those, 5.6 billion will be on smartphones. By then, about two-thirds of those smartphones will have 4G LTE broadband connections.

Here’s an overview of the study’s findings:

Smartphones Will Be Key Mobile Driver

Right now, Ericsson says its data shows only about three out of every ten cell phone subscriptions are linked to a smartphone. However, most of the cell phones purchased in the last three months – 55 percent – were smartphones, the company says.

Much of the spike in smartphone usage will come from emerging markets like Africa and China. An increasing number of smartphones have been developed for these emerging markets recently.

For businesses in the U.S. and around the world, the takeaway is simple. Effective engagement with a growing mobile audience is the key to business growth in the future.

Smartphone Photo via Shutterstock


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Joshua Sophy Joshua Sophy is the Editor for Small Business Trends and the Head of Content Partnerships. A journalist with 20 years of experience in traditional and online media, he is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. He founded his own local newspaper, the Pottsville Free Press, covering his hometown.

7 Reactions
  1. That figure does not surprise me in the least. I have a feeling it’s a conservative figure and will surpass itself way before 2019. I, of course, could be wrong.

  2. Using a smartphone is no longer reserved to people who can afford it. Almost everyone has a smartphone already. It is an indispensable tool. In fact, it is quite surprising if a person does not have one. Will it increase in the future? Of course, even kids these days have their own smartphones.

    • Hehe! I don’t have a smartphone, Aira! But I agree, smartphones are more affordable today than they’ve ever been, so more people are snapping them up.

  3. Smartphones are getting more commonplace as the price keeps dropping with more features and competition from smartphone manufacturers.

  4. Joshua,

    It’s really a trend to watch: 20 percent of my site’s traffic is now coming from mobile devices – and the figure is growing slowly but surely.