Ericsson: Rapid growth in ME mobile subscriptions

Research reveals that 8 million mobile subscriptions were added in the Middle East from July to September 2012 .
Total mobile subscriptions in the Middle East were reported at around 990 million mobile subscriptions by Q3 2012, with 600 million more expected to be added by 2018.
Approximately 40 percent of all phones sold globally in Q3 2012 were smartphones and the growth of smartphone data traffic is expected to exceed the overall average.
New research from Ericsson has suggested that mobile penetration is outpacing birth rates across the Middle East.
According to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, 8 million new mobile connections were recorded across the region from July to September 2012, while in comparison, the estimated number of births for the corresponding period stood at a little over 1.1 million. The total number of mobile subscriptions in the Middle East was reported to be around 990 million by Q3, 2012 with an estimated 600 million additional subscriptions expected to be added by 2018.
The latest Ericsson Mobility Report, formerly known as the Ericsson Traffic and Market Report, also revealed that approximately 40 percent of all phones sold around the world, in Q3, were smartphones. Global data traffic doubled between Q3, 2011 and Q3, 2012, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 50 percent between 2012 and 2018, driven mainly by video.
Carlo Alloni, executive vice president and head of operations for Ericsson in the Middle East. “The Middle East continues to be a high growth market for the mobile telephony industry with some of the highest penetration rates in the world. As we continue to evolve into a Networked Society, we anticipate that demand for services, such as mobile broadband, will continue to drive growth for the foreseeable future as users seek to connect through multiple devices and, therefore, multiple connections.”
Douglas Gilstrap, SVP and head of strategy at Ericsson, said: "Expectations of mobile-network quality have been elevated by the availability of smartphones and tablets that have changed the way we use the internet. Mobility is becoming an increasingly significant part of our daily lives; we always have devices within arm's reach, allowing us instant access to information, entertainment and social interaction."