Two-thirds of the world's population will have a mobile subscription by the end of 2017, says a new study by GSMA, revealed at Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona this week.
The trade body represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide and organises the congress.
The 2017 global edition of the GSMA's 'Mobile Economy' report states the five billion-subscriber milestone will be achieved by mid-year 2017 and will increase to 5.7 billion by the end of the decade.
"Mobile is a global platform that today supports two-thirds of the world's population, delivering the connectivity and infrastructure that is powering new digital economies and addressing socio-economic challenges," says Mats Granryd, director general of the GSMA.
"Our latest Mobile Economy report reveals how the near ubiquity of smartphones and high-speed connectivity is enabling innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence and driving the digital transformation. Mobile operators have invested over a trillion dollars in their networks since 2010 and will invest a further $700 billion over the remainder of the decade as we enter the 5G era."
The body says the mobile ecosystem accounted for 4.4% of global GDP last year, equivalent to $3.3 trillion. By 2020, the number is said to increase to $4.2 trillion (4.9% of projected global GDP).
It also said there were 4.8 billion unique mobile subscribers and 7.9 billion SIM connections worldwide by the end of 2016, with more than half running on 3G or 4G networks.
The study predicts the first commercial 5G networks will launch in 2019 and will provide coverage to a third of the world's population by 2025.
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