Ericsson ups LatAm mobile data projection

Ericsson has adjusted its estimate for average monthly data traffic per Latin American mobile user to 7GB for 2021, rather than the 6GB figure projected in November 2015.

The 2021 projection compares to average monthly data throughput of 1.2GB per Latin American user in 2015, as reported in Ericsson's previous Mobility Report last November.

Latin Americans are thus on a par with users in the Middle East/Africa (1GB), Asia Pacific (1GB) and Central/Eastern Europe (1.4GB), while North Americans are the global leaders with monthly usage of 3.7GB.

The difference in usage between regions is expected to grow drastically by 2021, with North Americans consuming 22GB per month and Western Europeans 18GB, against the 7GB average consumption expected in Latin America.

Globally, Ericsson expects the number of smartphones in use to surpass the number of standard mobile phones during 3Q16. However, in Latin America smartphones already represented 50% of handsets in use by year-end 2015.

The 2016 Mobility Report also estimates that by year-end 2015 the number of 3G and 4G connections in Latin America had grown to roughly 51% of lines in service, up from 45% at year-end 2014.

The latest report adjusts the LTE/5G projection to 45% of Latin American lines in 2021, whereas the November 2015 report had put the figure at 40%.

Globally, for 2015-2021 the number of traditional communication devices connected to any kind of network will grow slowly, at 1% CAGR for computers and 3% CAGR for mobile phones, Ericsson estimates.

However, Internet of Things connections will grow at 27% CAGR for devices using mobile connectivity and 22% CAGR for devices using other networks.

This will lead to 28bn connected devices (including computers and phones) by 2021, compared to 15bn today. Of the 28bn total, 16bn will be IoT devices other than computers and phones, and most of them will connect using non-cellular means, such as WiFi, satellite and fixed lines.