By 2020, Chinese and Indian tech giants will take over 50% of all global mobile phone subscribers, according to the GSM Association (GSMA), a trade body that represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide.
According to Computer Weekly, there will be roughly 753 million new mobile phone subscribers worldwide.
GSMA expect that by the end of the decade, China will account for 21% (155 million) of those subscribers, and India will account for 27% (206 million).
“Led by India and China, Asia’s mobile industry will be the main engine of global subscriber growth for the remainder of the decade, connecting almost half a billion new customers across the region by 2020,” said Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA.
“We are also seeing a dramatic shift to mobile broadband networks, particularly 4G, which is providing a platform for a rich range of innovative new services across both developed and emerging markets in the region. Meanwhile, advanced operators in Asia are set to become among the first in the world to launch commercial 5G networks before the end of the decade,” he added.
GSMA also noted that there is going to be a 3.1 billion increase in mobile subscribers from Asia-Pacific (APAC), accounting for around 66% of global growth to 75% by 2020.
Written by Leah Alger
