Smartphones now account for the majority of all mobile phones sold around the world, according to a market report issued Monday by Ericsson.
The milestone, fueled by the growth of entry-level models in markets such as China and India, marks the first time that smartphone sales have exceeded those of basic mobile handsets, with some 55 per cent of sales in the third quarter, the report said.
The report outlined a continuation of increased smartphone use through the end of the decade. Smartphone sales will triple by 2019, at which time there will be 9.3 billion mobile subscriptions, including 5.6 billion for smartphones.
That will fuel a 10-fold increase in smartphone traffic from current levels, with video accounting for 50 per cent of the total, according to the report.
“The rapid pace of smartphone uptake has been phenomenal and is set to continue,” said Douglas Gilstrap, Senior Vice-President and head of strategy at Ericsson. “It took more than five years to reach the first billion smartphone subscriptions, but it will take less than two to hit the 2 billion mark. Between now and 2019, smartphone subscriptions will triple.
“Interestingly, this trend will be driven by uptake in China and other emerging markets as lower-priced smartphone models become available.”