GSA: number of LTE connections worldwide has passed the 1 billion mark

The umbrella organization of mobile providers states that at the end of 2015, the number of LTE subscribers stood at 1.068 billion. One in seven mobile connections worldwide would now be via LTE.

In the fourth quarter of 2015, 156 million LTE connections were added, crossing the 1 billion mark at the end of 2015. In addition, the number of lte connections is increasing faster than the number of 3g connections. The Global mobile Suppliers Association expects lte to overtake 3g by 2020 in terms of numbers.

Only 14.9 percent of the global amount of LTE subscribers is located in Europe. Asia and Australia account for the largest share with 580 million or a share of 54.3 percent. Of those, 386 million are in China. There are now 237 million LTE users in the US and Canada, or 22.2 percent.

In South America, the Middle East and Russia there are 54 million, 32.5 and 11.7 million LTE subscribers respectively. The GSA estimates that there are now 7.343 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide. The association represents mobile infrastructure, semiconductor, device and service providers worldwide, such as Qualcomm, Nokia and Ericsson.