Mobile data traffic in the Middle East and North East Africa region is expected to grow 14 times between 2014 to 2020, while globally data will expand 9 times.
The report categorized the GCC (Gulf Corporation Council) market as one of the "Advanced" markets. These countries are characterized by advanced mobile technologies, innovative services, high data consumption and fierce competition, as well as having the highest GDP per capita across the region.
Around 40 percent of the countries in the entire region have launched LTE technology; however, it only accounts for 1 percent of global subscriptions, most of which are concentrated in Gulf countries. These countries, especially Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, have some of the highest smartphone adoption rates in the world. This segment is also more advanced in its usage of the internet across different devices.
Rafiah Ibrahim, President of Ericsson Region Middle East and East Africa Ericsson, said; "The ICT transformation has been phenomenal across the entire region. As an advanced market, the GCC is taking significant steps towards life in the Networked Society, especially with the path it's taking towards its Smart City vision, which is prominent in the UAE. Convenience and usability often determine how users perform a particular task in this region, and connectivity is now part of the mainstream. Ericsson's mobility report provides a glimpse into the future of mobility, allowing us to capture the opportunities made possible by the Networked Society, where everything that can be connected will be connected."
The region as a whole had around 680 million mobile subscriptions at the end of 2014. Between 2014 and 2020 it is forecast that mobile subscriptions will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6 percent, amounting to 970 million.