LTE Will Grow 35% Annnually

Global Long Term Evolution subscribers will grow 35 percent annually over the next five years, increasing the installed base of customers from 516 million to 2.3 billion,  TeleGeography forecasts. forecasts.

Still, 2G remains the dominant mobile platform in 2015, accounting for 61 percent of global mobile subscribers.

In fact, 90 percent of India’s 950 million subscribers are still connected to 2G networks.

Global 3G subscribers are expected to surpass 2G subscribers in 2019.

“LTE is growing at a faster rate than 3G ever did,” said TeleGeography analyst Mark Gibson. “However, while 3G subscribers are declining in the US and Europe, they continue to grow in all other regions—most notably in Africa where they are expected to increase 19 percent compounded annually over the next five years. Therefore, despite its rapid growth, LTE may not surpass 3G on a global basis until early into the next decade.”