In the latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report, Ericsson reveals that the Internet of Things (IoT) is set to overtake mobile phones as the largest category of connected device by 2018, among other statistics. One of the other big reveals of the report talks about LTE being the dominant mobile access technology globally and in Malaysia as well by 2019. Between the year 2015 to 2021, cellular IoT is forecasted to have the highest growth rate with an annual growth of 23%. Ericsson also reports that of the 28 billion total devices that will be connected by the year 2021, close to 16 billion of those devices with be IoT devices.
Todd Ashton, Head of Ericsson Malaysia and Sri Lanka, says: “We are witnessing IoT growing at a rapid pace as device costs get more competitive and ground breaking applications emerge. IoT is coming to life within many industries and we already see that in Malaysia with the Connected Mangroves project. 4G is here now and with it, many industries have the opportunity to leverage digital technologies to innovate their business and provide customers with amazing experiences.”
On a global scale, smartphone subscriptions continue to increase more than ever and are forecasted to exceed basic phones by Q3 of 2016. In Malaysia however, smartphone subscriptions have already surpassed basic phone subscriptions in the year 2015. By the year 2021, smartphone subscriptions in Malaysia will increase exponentially from almost 25 million in 2015 to more than 40 million subscriptions.
In the regions of Southeast Asia and Oceania, smartphones subscriptions are expected to increase at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15%, up until the year 2021. “The rise rise of mobile broadband is attributed to a number of factors, including the affordability of devices, as well as the increasing popularity of data-intensive apps, such as video. Consumers have moved the attention from voice coverage to app coverage. Voice now constitutes less than five percent of mobile traffic and while excellent voice coverage is a hygiene factor, application coverage and performance is what consumers want,” he added.
