Ericsson Reports Rapid Rise in Mobile Subs and Traffic

Ericsson said the number of mobile subscriptions worldwide rose by 109 million in the fourth quarter of 2013 to 6.7 billion. However, the leading network equipment supplier said the actual number of subscribers is about 4.5 billion, since many people have several subscriptions.

Ericsson also reported that about one billion smartphones were sold in 2013. "This device represented close to 60% of all mobile phones sold in Q4 2013, compared to around 45% in Q4 2012," it added. "Of all mobile phone subscriptions, around 30% are associated with smartphones." source: Ericsson report