With some 3.7 billion people across Asia using mobile phones – over 50% of the mobile subscribers in the world – spread across a diverse range of markets, the region is already rapidly advancing in the adoption of mobile data/wireless broadband services.

Asia – mobile services – total mobile and mobile broadband – subscribers/penetration – 2011 – 2014

Category	2011	2012	2013	2014(e)
Mobile subscriptions
Subscribers	3,000,000	3,205,000	3,457,000;	3,604,000
Penetration	76.5%	80.9%	86.4%	89.2%
Mobile broadband subscriptions
Subscribers	432,000	605,000	753,000	920,000
Penetration	11.0%	15.3%	18.8%	22.8%

 

As the penetration of mobile services in Asia moved from 80% to 92% in the four years up to 2015, the share of mobile broadband services as a proportion of the still growing mobile subscriber base moved rapidly from 18% to almost 50%. Growth across the region in high speed access to the internet by means of mobile broadband services has been largely driven by highly competitive markets combined with the preparedness of the customer to embrace new generation mobile technologies. With 3G and 3G+ platforms extensively covering the region, mobile broadband services have already become well established.

The rapid take up has been underpinned by increasingly cheaper smartphone prices and lower airtime tariffs combining to support even wider adoption. And now, of course, there are 4G/LTE providing a fresh impetus, not only in the region’s pace-setting markets, but right across Asia.

In the context of mobile broadband services, one cannot ignore the WiMAX platform. Whilst there has been some activity in the providing of fixed WiMAX networks, the real test has been the advent of mobile WiMAX. The roll-out of WiMAX-based mobile services in Asia has begun; however, significant rollouts have been limited to just a few markets. The technology is looking more and more like a platform suited for niche markets. Pakistan, Bangladesh and Malaysia have notable WiMAX roll outs.

By end-2015 mobile broadband subscriptions in Asia totaled just over 1.7 billion – about 50% of all the mobile broadband subscribers in the world. The number of mobile broadband subscribers in Asia was growing at around 45% annually heading into 2016.