Though fourth generation Long Term Evolution networks tend to get most of the attention these days, third generation GSM will, by far, be the dominant network for most people who use mobile networks or mobile broadband.
By 2017, 85 percent of the world's population will have 3G coverage, Ericsson says.
About 75 percent of the HSPA networks worldwide have been upgraded to a peak speed of 7.2 Mbps or above and around 40 percent have been upgraded to 21 Mbps.
And though, by 2017, 50 percent of the world's population will be covered by 4G networks that doesn’t mean that most people who have access to LTE actually use it. It takes time for new handsets, working with the latest air interface, reach critical mass in any market.
For many people around the world, the mobile phone also will be the only means of accessing the internet. According to Ericsson, 85 percent of the world's population will have internet coverage from a 3G network by 2017, and there will be close to nine billion mobile subscriptions in use, compared to six billion by the end of 2011.
Smart phone subscriptions expected to reach three billion in 2017, about a third of all users globally, and global data traffic to grow 15 times by the end of 2017, Ericsson also says.
Mobile broadband subscriptions, meanwhile, are forecast to reach five billion in 2017, compared to one billion by the end of 2011.