Global mobile penetration reached 85 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, and mobile subscriptions now total around 6 billion, Ericsson said, citing an interim update to the Traffic and Market Data Report. Though there are now around 6 billion mobile subscriptions, this figure equates to around 4.1 billion subscribers, since many subscribers have several subscriptions. Nevertheless, nearly 60 percent of people alive today now have at least one mobile subscription. India and China together accounted for approximately 35 percent of the estimated 180 million new subscriptions added in the fourth quarter of 2011 Brazil, Indonesia and Bangladesh follows in terms of new subscriptions. Overall, mobile subscriptions increased by around 13 percent year-on-year and 3 percent quarter-on-quarter. Around 75 percent of total subscriptions are GSM, while 15 percent are WCDMA/HSPA. Mobile broadband subscriptions increased by around 60 percent year-on-year and now number close to 1 billion. There continues to be strong momentum for smartphone uptake in all regions. Approximately 30 percent of all handsets sold in 2011 were smartphones, compared to around 20 percent in 2010.
