Ericsson Mobility Report: 4G/lte subscriptions to triple during 2015 in Middle East and North East Africa

•    By 2020, mobile data traffic in the Middle East and North East Africa regionwill grow 14 times between 2014, while globally data will grow 9 times.
•    4G/LTE subscriptions are predicted to triple during 2015 in the region and will continue to grow exponentially to reach 210 million by the end of 2020.
•    Mobile subscriptions in the region will reach around 970 million by 2020

The inaguaral appendix to the Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) Mobility Report for the Middle East and North East Africa (RMEA), reveals that, despite the market being extremely varied with regards to Information & Communications Technology (ICT) adoption and mobile penetration, the proliferation of mobile technologies continue at a rapid pace. RMEA mobile data traffic will grow 14 times between 2014 to 2020, while globally data will grow 9 times.

Rafiah Ibrahim, President, Ericsson, Region Middle East and East Africa said: “The ICT transformation has been phenomenal across the region. Such transformation is far beyond simple technological innovation, it calls us to reshape existing business models and infrastructure environments.  In the future, it will address completely new needs arising from technological and consumer behavioral changes. Just imagine the possibilities.”

Ibrahim adds; “Ericsson’s mobility report provides a glimpse into the future of mobility, allowing us to capture the opportunities made possible by the Networked Society, where everything that can be connected will be connected.”

The region as a whole had around 680 million mobile subscriptions at the end of 2014. Between 2014 and 2020 it is forecast that mobile subscriptions will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6 percent, amounting to 970 million.

The Ericsson Mobility Report shows that in 2020 the growth of technology coupled with the mobile subscriptions will create never-before-seen levels of connectivity in the region.

LTE subscriptions to triple in 2015
LTE subscriptions are on the rise and are expected to triple in 2015 alone, and surpass 210 million by 2020, equating to around 20 percent of all mobile subscriptions.

17 percent or 125 million of all mobile subscriptions were attributed to smartphones at the end of 2014; however, as inexpensive smartphones become abundant and mobile broadband rollouts accelerate, smartphone subscriptions will increase across all the markets. Of the 970 million mobile subscriptions predicted at the end of 2020, 40 percent will come from smartphones.   
 
14 times growth expected in mobile data traffic by 2020
By 2020, the amount of data used monthly by each active smartphone will increase substantially from an average of 0.8GB in 2014 to approximately 5GB.
Data intensive utility, communication and entertainment services are commonly used by smartphone owners. Mobile video traffic will continue to grow driven by video streaming services and increasing prevalence of video in social media.

Ericsson; Capturing the Networked Society
Today, 40% of the world’s mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks, allowing it to facilitate better business for the telecommunications and other industries. Smartphone subscription and mobile technology are unlocking the potential for a mass-scale transformation.