Global LTE Subscriptions Surpass 1 Billion

The number of global LTE subscriptions surpassed the 1 billion mark in 4Q 2015, the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) confirmed. LTE subscription growth continues at a faster pace than for any other mobile communications technology in industry history, GSA highlights. One in 7 mobile connections worldwide are now LTE connections. More than 156 million new LTE subscriptions were made in 4Q, bringing 2015’s total to 552.2 million. That more than doubled the cumulative total, a 107% increase that brought the global LTE subscriptions to 1.08 billion as of year-end 2015, according to GSA. Though from a smaller base, LTE subscription growth was 75% higher than that for 3G/HSPA in 4Q. Taken together, GSA expects the global number of LTE and LTE-Advanced subscriptions to overtake those for 3G/WCDMA-HSPA in 2020. GSM subscriptions, in contrast, fell 141 million in 4Q.