Nearly 7 in 10 people will be using a smartphone across the globe by 2020, according to the latest edition of Ericcson's Mobility Report.
Smartphone subscriptions will reach 6.1 billion and 90 percent of devices will be covered by mobile broadband networks, the report said.
As smartphones become more affordable, much of the growth will come from developing markets, including Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Growth in mature markets will grow not just from new subscribers but from individuals with multiple devices.
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With increased smartphone usage comes increased mobile data traffic, mainly from North America and Europe. In fact, by 2020 average monthly data usage per smartphone in North America will rise nearly six-fold from 2.4 GB today to 14 GB, according to Ericcson.
And as users shift preferences toward video streaming services with mobile devices connected to the Web by increasing speeds, mobile video traffic will grow by 55 percent per year until 2020, the report said.
