[June 28, 2016] |
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Asia Pacific to Add 600 Million New Mobile Subscribers by 2020, Finds Latest GSMA Mobile Economy Study
The number of mobile subscribers in the Asia Pacific region reached 2.5
billion at the end of last year and will grow to 3.1 billion by 2020,
according to a new GSMA study published at GSMA Mobile World Congress (News - Alert)
Shanghai this week. The new report, 'The Mobile Economy: Asia Pacific
2016', finds that 62 per cent of the Asia Pacific population was
subscribed to a mobile service in 2015, forecast to rise to almost
three-quarters of the population by 2020 as a further 600 million new
subscribers are added over the period. It is calculated that mobile
technologies and services made up 5.4 per cent of Asia Pacific's GDP
last year, equivalent to $1.3 trillion in economic value; this economic
contribution is set to increase to $1.7 trillion by 2020.
"More than half the world's mobile subscribers are based in Asia Pacific
and the region will be the main engine of global subscriber growth for
the remainder of the decade," said Mats Granryd, GSMA (News - Alert) Director General.
"Rising subscriber penetration, alongside accelerating migration to
faster networks and more advanced services, continues to fuel innovation
and digitisation across both advanced and emerging markets in this
highly diverse region. Mobile is helping Asia build digital societies
that allow its citizens to access services, anytime and anywhere - and
these mobile-powered digital societies are becoming major drivers of
social and economic development."
Growth in Subscribers, Mobile Broadband and Smartphones Across Asia
Asia Pacific will account for 60 per cent of the one billion unique
mobile subscribers1 that will be added to the global total by
2020, with the region continuing to add subscribers at a faster rate
than the global average2. The four largest markets in the
region - China, India, Indonesia and Japan - together accounted for more
than three-quarters of the region's total subscriber base. India alone
is expected to add nearly 250 million new subscribers by 2020 but
smaller countries in the region such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar
and Pakistan will also make major contributions to subscriber growth.
Mobile broadband (3G/4G) accounted for 45 per cent of total mobile
connections3 in Asia Pacific last year, forecast to rise to
70 per cent by 2020 as operators continue to invest in 4G network
build-outs and subscribers migrate to higher-speed networks. 4G is on
track to account for more than a third of total connections in Asia
Pacific by 2020. At the end of 2015, the region had 76 live 4G-LTE (News - Alert)
networks and 20 live VoLTE networks. According to the report, 4G
migration is now gathering pace in markets such as Indonesia, Malaysia,
the Philippines and Thailand. Meanwhile, the region's 4G pioneers - such
as South Korea, Japan and China - are driving the development of 5G
mobile technologies in readiness for deployments before the end of the
decade.
The number of smartphone connections in Asia Pacific totaled 1.7 billion
at the end of 2015,
accounting for 45 per cent of regional connections. China, India and
Indonesia have been the main drivers of smartphone growth, helping the
region double its overall smartphone base over the last two years. The
region will add a further 1.3 billion smartphone connections by 2020,
reaching 3 billion, or two-thirds of the region's total connections base
by that point.
Mobile Ecosystem (News - Alert) a Rising Contributor to the Asian Economy
The $1.3 trillion in economic value generated by the Asia Pacific mobile
industry last year (5.4 per cent of Asia Pacific GDP4) is
expected to rise to $1.7 billion by 2020 as the region continues to
benefit from the improvements in productivity and efficiency made
possible by increased take-up of mobile services and the adoption of new
technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M).
The mobile ecosystem in Asia also supported 15 million jobs in 2015.
This includes workers directly employed in the ecosystem and jobs that
are indirectly supported by the economic activity generated by the
sector. In addition to the mobile sector's impact on the economy and
labour market, it makes a substantial contribution to public sector
funding; approximately $111 billion was raised in the region last year
via general taxation.
Asia's mobile industry is also playing a leading role in delivering
digital inclusion and addressing the digital divide. According to the
report, there were 1.8 billion citizens across Asia Pacific accessing
the internet over mobile devices at the end of last year, equivalent to
45 per cent of the region's population. It is predicted that a further
800 million people in Asia will connect to the mobile internet by 2020
(63 per cent of expected population). As a result, mobile has become a
platform that enables digital identity, financial inclusion, and a range
of social and developmental services that are helping to deliver the
United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)5.
"Mobile is the primary tool for extending connectivity and internet
access to all corners of Asia, delivering a myriad of economic and
social benefits," added Granryd. "But there is still work to be done.
The mobile industry must work with regulators and ecosystem players to
address the key barriers to digital inclusion in Asia Pacific, such as
lack of locally relevant content, affordability and a lack of digital
skills."
The new report 'The Mobile Economy: Asia Pacific 2016' is authored by
GSMA Intelligence, the research arm of the GSMA. To access the full
report and related infographics please visit: http://www.gsma.com/mobileeconomy/asiapacific/
-ENDS-
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting
nearly 800 operators with almost 300 companies in the broader mobile
ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies,
equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in
adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading
events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai and
the Mobile 360 Series conferences.
For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com.
Follow the GSMA on Twitter (News - Alert): @GSMA.
1 A unique mobile subscriber represents an individual that
can account for multiple mobile connections (SIM cards)
2 Subscriber growth rates, 2015-2020. Asia Pacific: 4.5%
CAGR; global: 3.9 per cent CAGR
3 A mobile connection refers to an active SIM card registered
with a mobile network, including M2M connections. The total number of
mobile connections in Asia Pacific reached 3.9 billion in 2015 and is
forecast to rise to 5 billion by 2020
4 GDP total includes contribution from mobile operators
(1.1%); related industries such as devices and infrastructure players
(0.7%); indirect impact (0.6%); and productivity impact (3.0%)
5 In September 2015, the UN introduced a set of 17
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development. The 17-point plan aims to end poverty, combat
climate change and fight injustice and inequality. The GSMA is
supporting the SDGs as part of its #betterfuture campaign. http://www.gsma.com/betterfuture/
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160628005116/en/
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