The number of LTE subscriptions worldwide will exceed 1 billion by the end of 2015, according to new research from the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA).
Citing new data from Ovum, the GSA noted that at the end of June there were 755 million LTE subscribers globally, thanks to 441 million net additions over the preceding 12 months.
In the second quarter of the year alone, operators connected 113.5 million new LTE customers. By contrast, 3G subscriptions grew by 74.4 million over the same three-month period and GSM subs fell by 98 million.
LTE connections now account for just over 10% of all mobile subscriptions, the association said.
Almost 56% of the new LTE subscriptions added in Q2 were in China. The country’s mobile operators together signed up 63.5 million customers, taking the market total to 225 million.
It is hardly surprising then that the Asia-Pacific region as a whole leads the world. It is home to more than half – 51.2% – of all LTE connections, followed by North America, which claims 26.2%.
Europe has a share of 16%, with operators in Western European markets having just passed the 100 million mark, the GSA reported.
The association also reiterated an earlier forecast that there will be 460 commercially launched LTE networks in the world by the end of this year. As of July, 422 operators have launched LTE networks in 143 countries.
