The global mobile market will undergo many changes, some major, some minor in the next 7 years. It’s going to be an exciting period involving growth and technological developments.
This article is based on facts and figures that appear in GSMA’s Mobile Economy Report 2018. Let’s take a quick look at what else we can expect between now and 2025.
Mobile users
2017 saw more than 5 billion mobile phone users worldwide, with 3.7 billion of those in developing markets. In other words, 2 out of 3 people in the world had a mobile subscription by the end of 2017.
By 2025, 71% of the world’s population will be mobile subscribers (aka unique mobile users). Developing countries like India, China, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, as well as Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, will account for this growth.
In a nutshell, the mobile industry will experience many changes and achieve further significant milestones.
Mobile internet users
Mobile internet will add 1.75 billion new users by 2025, reaching a figure of 5 billion. The highest number of users will be added mainly in China, followed closely by India and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The drivers for this growth are coverage of more and more areas with 3G/4G networks, availability of both reasonably priced devices and data plans. And of course, the users’ great desire to consume social media and seek out more and more content online.
Globally the unique mobile user penetration will see a slight rise to 71% of population in 2025 from 66% in 2017. The highest growth of 8% will be in Sub-Saharan Africa followed by 6% in the MENA and Asia Pacific and Latam regions. North America, CIS and Europe are comparatively low in growth with an average of 2%.
4G and 5G
4G will become the lead mobile network technology in 2019 and its dominance will continue until 2025. Developing markets are driving the growth overall.
Preparations for 5G are well underway, with early commercial launches slated for North America and parts of Asia and Europe over the next 3 years. By 2025, China, Japan, and the US will have the maximum 5G connections.
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