Photo: psd / Flickr

A report coming out of Ericsson says that worldwide mobile data users will top 1 billion in 2011. This remarkable feat is only further exaggerated when one considers that the half a billion milestone was only crossed a few months ago.

Significant milestones crossed

In a statement (via Reuters) Ericsson said that: ‘During the course of 2010, a significant milestone in terms of mobile broadband subscriptions was reached as their number surpassed the half-a-billion mark globally.’ Considering the company is the world’s biggest maker of mobile network gear, it’s safe to say the company knows what it’s talking about. Things are only going to get better with respect to mobile data users, with the statement going on to read: ‘Ericsson estimates that this number will double before 2011 ends.’

Internet everywhere

With the proliferation of smartphones, as well as feature phones being paired with decent browsing experiences like that provided by Opera Mini, on-the-go mobile data usage has exploded. Add to this the proliferation of cheap netbooks, more data solutions for notebooks and tablet PCs, it becomes clear why the number of mobile data users has seen the torrid growth it has in recent years.

We win!

Ericsson has benefitted from this since it means more carriers are buying more gear from the company to handle the load. Carriers are also benefitting from this exploding demand, since this rise in data use is helping their earnings across the board. The only group who haven’t seen significant benefits are consumers, who are battling carriers reducing data allowances so that they, the carriers, can better handle the load from this surge in demand, as well as reap greater profit.

The revolution has been repeated

Mobile phones have fundamentally changed how people communicate and connect with each other. In the 90s, as handsets and networks became more ubiquitous around the world, people who previously couldn’t afford expensive to maintain landline connections had a way of connecting with each other affordably.

Now, what mobile phones did for voice communication, they are doing for internet connections, providing new ways for longtime web users to connect, as well as enabling first time web users access to the world’s most important communications platform. The growth of mobile data usage and mobile data users is to the benefit of all parties involved.

Photo: Apple

Mobile phones, perhaps more than any other modern technology, have changed the world in immeasurable ways, having more market penetration than anything preceding them. So much so, that according to Wireless Intelligence, there are over 5 billion mobile phone connections worldwide.

One billion added in 18 months

With over 5 billion mobile phones sold through to homes in the last 15 years or so, one would think the industry would be approaching saturation. Not so, apparently, with Wireless Intelligence reporting one billion of these mobile phone connections have been established in the last 18 months alone. What’s more, Wireless Intelligence predicts worldwide connections will swell to six million by mid-2012. That’s enough mobile phones connections to cater to 6/7ths of the planet’s population. Mind blowing. What’s remarkable is that in many regions worldwide, penetration is at the maximum 100 per cent, with many mobile phones users having more than one connection simultaneously.

Emerging markets account for growth

Africa, which has historically suffered from a lack of technological proliferation, has seen mobile phones penetration reach 52 per cent across the continent. Stated differently, more than one in every two people on the continent has mobile connections of some form.

Photo: Sony Ericsson

But the bulk of the growth is down to the Asia-Pacific, most prominently China and India, who account for 47 per cent of worldwide mobile connections ending June 2010. This, admittedly, follows population trends, when considering the two aforementioned countries are home to over two billion people.

Smartphones grow, feature phones shrink

Another trend that has been identified and will likely only increase is the speed at which smartphones are replacing feature phones. While the late 90s and very early 2000s saw stalwarts like the Nokia 3310 and the Motorola Razr dominate their respective market places, phones like the iPhone 4, Blackberries and the HTCs dominate today’s news and mobile connections trends.

Either which way, mobile phones are big business, and with a reported 10 billion plus sold since 1994 (3.4 billion by Nokia alone, mind you), mobile phones may be the highest selling consumer electronics device category of all time.