Mobile technology is the largest technology platform in history, transforming industries and the way people interact. 3G/4G and its evolutions continue to be adopted rapidly worldwide; globally, it is expected that around 4.6 billion connections will be on 3G/4G networks by 2017 (GSMA Intelligence, Jan 2014). Furthermore, mobile broadband connections are fast surpassing fixed, expected to reach around 83% in total broadband connections (GSMA Intelligence, Nov 2013; WBIS, Nov 2013). For instance, according to Facebook in May last year, over 68% of their total users now access Facebook from their mobile phone; similarly, YouTube traffic from mobile devices tripled in 2011 (YouTube, April 2013).
From feature phones to smartphones and beyond
Smartphones are redefining computing by offering a superior computing experience, and is driving a significant part of this uptrend. Smartphone shipments continue to outperform the PC market, selling around approximately double those of PCs and 3.5 times those of mobile PCs in 2012.
The importance of the smartphone cannot be understated, as it is the most secure and most personalized device. What’s more, mobile users nowadays expect breakthrough experiences with leading performance and all day battery life, in order to be productive, entertained and informed on the go 24/7. That is why Qualcomm SnapdragonTM processors are truly unique in that we build a complete portfolio of custom integrated processors specifically for the mobile ecosystem, including CPU, GPU, modem, and other software-level management solutions. Our belief is that smart, tight integration of these mobile components will deliver the performance – and power savings – that consumers desire. And, with over 1,350 Snapdragon devices announced and more than 500 designs in development, it is clear that consumers are gravitating towards devices powered by Snapdragon processors.
The Internet Of Everything
The term ‘mobile device’ is expanding beyond smartphones. From tablets to smartwatches, to 3G-enabled digital cameras and eBooks etc, we are seeing new categories of thin, energy-efficient devices that cater to every situation for consumers and businesses. Now, the Internet of Everything (IoE) is here today, rapidly changing our world and evolving how we live. Smart things everywhere are being connected from very basic machines to sophisticated consumer electronics – all becoming smarter because of the network and services to which they connect.
As a company that has been dedicated to mobile inventions and innovations since our inception in 1985, Qualcomm has the vision, experience and resources to create the fabric of IoE for businesses, governments and consumers alike. We are already working with our industry partners to build innovative value-added applications, services and experiences for the connected home and deliver them at scale on open platforms. Not only are Qualcomm technologies (such as Qualcomm Internet Processor, Gobi, StreamBoost, AllPlay, Wi-Fi and powerline) already present in many devices in the home but we also work with a broad ecosystem of industry partners, for instance within the AllSeen Alliance (to which we contributed the open-source AllJoyn software framework). This enables us to bring the necessary interoperability across public, home and proximal clouds.
Certainly, the Internet of Everything presents vast opportunities for every industry sector, limited only by the stretch of human imagination. We believe that initial interest in IoE will remain in the sphere of the connected home; smart energy & utilities; automotive and in education. However, as more companies – within and beyond the mobile industry – take greater interest in developing devices and services for a variety of industry sectors, mobile technology will be the paradigm shifts which transforms the way we interact with each other – and things around us.
Mobile Statistics
•Mobile is the largest technology platform in the history of civilization. Already, approx 3.4 billion unique subscribers by Q4 2013, expected to grow to over 4 billion by 2017 (GSMA Intelligence)
•3G/4G and its evolution continue to be adopted rapidly worldwide. 3G/4G devices shipment estimated to cross 1 billion in 2013 – around 2 billion by 2017
•Egypt’s internet and mobile phone usage rates are among the highest in the developing world. More than 23 million Egyptians used the internet by the end of last year, up from 16.6 million in 2009. (Ministry of Communications and Information Technology)
Internet and Mobile Facts for the Region
The Middle East and Africa region is one of most important emerging regions providing the next wave of growth.
•Emerging regions including MEA are driving the future growth of mobile (GSMA Intelligence)
•~115 million 3G/4G connections were added in emerging regions Q4 ’13
•In KSA alone, it is expected there will be more than 11 million 4G subscriptions by 2016. The Middle East as a whole is expected to reach a total of 15 million 4G subscriptions (DiscoverDigitalArabia)
•~76% of 3G/4G connections expected to come from emerging regions in 2017, up from ~64% in Q4 ’13
The mobile device has become indispensable to modern digital living, transforming consumer behavior, regardless of geography or culture
•Smartphone sales in Egypt are expected to nearly double to 32% of all handsets sold by 2016 (Pyramid Research)
•74% of smartphone users use their devices for product research and purchase; this number increases to 79% for online shopping. 44% use their devices to find product reviews, and 49% to compare prices instantaneously. (Go-Gulf.com)
•Egypt’s internet and mobile phone usage rates are among the highest in the developing world. More than 23 million Egyptians used the internet by the end of last year, up from 16.6 million in 2009. (Ministry of Communications and Information Technology)
•Users that access the internet through mobile phones increased from 4.8 million to 7.9 million (Ministry of Communications and Information Technology)
•The number of mobile phone subscribers soared from 55.4 million to 70.7 million. (Ministry of Communications and Information Technology)
•There was a drop in fixed-line phone subscribers from 10.3 million to 9.6 million. (Ministry of Communications and Information Technology)
•Smartphone sales in Egypt are expected to nearly double to 32% of all handsets sold by 2016 (Pyramid Research)
•Mobile subscribers increased by 4.05% to 97.47 …
