The number of worldwide mobile subscribers will reach the 5.9 billion mark by 2013, according to Infonetics Research's 'Fixed and mobile subscribers market forecast report', released this week.
The report reveals the number of mobile subscribers grew 17.4% in 2008 over 2007, while access line subscribers declined 5.5%.
"The global recession did not prevent people from using communication services, but it clearly accelerated the pace of wire line-to-mobile substitution,” says St'ephane T'eral, Infonetics Research's principal analyst for mobile and FMC infrastructure, in a statement.
There were nearly four times more mobile subscribers than access line subscribers globally in 2008 (3.9 billion compared to 1 billion), the report reveals.
It adds that access lines are disappearing fastest in North America and China, as people move to fixed-to-mobile solutions. This is especially the case as the recession hits, with people more inclined to keep their mobile phones.
According to T'eral, China, with half a billion mobile subscribers in 2008, and India together make Asia Pacific the world's largest mobile subscriber region, both now and in future. “The EMEA region is next, with strong growth driven by Africa,” he notes.
“Mobile subscriptions will continue to grow strongly over at least the next five years, driven mainly by basic voice service needs in these regions, particularly in BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries," predicts T'eral.
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