According to an Ericsson report published last year, the global smartphone market is increasingly tilting towards Africa and Asia, showing remarkable growth and dynamism in the mobile technologies sector. This report suggested that at the end of the year, the number of mobile subscriptions surpassed the 800 million mark. Just seven months later, that number had surged, putting it on course to reach 1 billion significantly soon.
Back in 2010, Ericsson had prophesied an interconnected future with approximately 50 billion connected devices globally by 2020. We are now witnessing this prophecy unfold, with much of the growth expected to spring from the vibrant and blooming technological landscape of Africa and Asia. The report further predicts that by 2020, these two continents will dominate the smartphone market, collectively accounting for approximately 80% of the global smartphone use.
Parallel reports provide corroborative data, suggesting a steady rise in the number of smartphone connections in Africa. A separate report estimates that the smartphone penetration in Africa will surpass 330 million by 2017. This means more than 30% of the African populace would have access to smartphones.
These exciting projections for the African region are fueled by the influx of affordable smartphones, most of which operate on the Android platform. Tech giant Microsoft is not one to lose out on such a promising opportunity. They made their foray into the African market with the launch of dual SIM smartphones categorized as “affordable”. This rise in smartphone usage will also, in turn, stimulate data subscription across the African continent, as reported.
[Read the full Ericsson report here](http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/2015/ericsson-mobility-report-june-2015.pdf)
This dynamism in Africa and Asia’s smartphone market underscores the exciting opportunities in the realm of digital connectivity and the tech industry in these regions. The ripples of this progress promise to permeate various facets of the society, including e-commerce, online education, and digital health services, thus underscoring the centrality of smartphones in molding the socio-economic landscape of these continents.
Paul Balo is the founder of TechBooky and a highly skilled wireless communications professional with a strong background in cloud computing, offering extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing wireless communication systems.
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