Two and a Half Billion to be Wireless

Global wireless subscriber growth is experiencing robust expansion, following several years of slower growth, according to tech researchers In-Stat/MDR. By 2009, the company forecasts more than 2.5 billion subscribers based on GSM and CDMA technologies.

According to Ken Hyers, a Senior Analyst with In-Stat/MDR, GSM will grow until 2008, as customers continue to migrate from older airlink technology, but will decline from then onwards as operators move subscribers to CDMA standards, which will pass GSM in terms of number of subscribers by the following year.

China will continue to lead the world in overall subscriber growth, but Southern Asia is showing stronger percentage growth and India is expected to be 'a significant engine of global subscriber growth' as the forecast period goes on. Meanwhile, European subscriber growth will continue to slow, and will stall in Scandinavia (the world's first fully mature wireless market) and Western Europe.

The report, entitled 'Growth Returns - Worldwide Mobile Subscriber Forecasts 2004 - 2009' suggests that iDEN networks will see strong growth in the US at first, but then to phased out, with subscribers moving in to another airlink, most likely CDMA.

In-Stat/MDR's twice yearly forecasts are segmented by country, region, and airlink, and forecasts periods of growth and decline for each, as appropriate, including which airlinks will dominate each region. The company is part of Reed Business Information and has a web site at www.instat.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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