85 per cent of world's population to have 3G access by 2017

3G is the standard mobile web platform for developed countries, and Ericsson reckons 85 per cent of the people will be using the spectrum within five years.
Additionally, 3G successor LTE is expected to be used by 50 per cent of people, as smartphone subscriptions grow to three billion in 2017, up from 700 million last year.
Meanwhile, mobile subscriptions are set to near nine billion by 2017, up from six billion in 2011, with M2M communications adding to the increase, while mobile data traffic is set to rise by 15 times in the same period.
Douglas Gilstrap, senior VP and head of strategy, Ericsson, said: "Today, people see access to the internet as a prerequisite for any device. This mindset results in growing demand for mobile broadband and increased data traffic.
"Operators recognise this business opportunity and are aiming to facilitate this growth and provide good user experience with fast data speeds through high capacity networks. Today, around 75 per cent of the HSPA networks worldwide have been upgraded to a peak speed of 7.2 Mbps or above and around 40% has been upgraded to 21 Mbps."

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