SEOUL, KOREA - The number of LTE subscribers exceeded the 100-million mark worldwide. Wireless Intelligence, a research outfit under the umbrella of the GSMA, announced on May 12 that the number of LTE subscribers to 163 telecom companies in 70 countries worldwide surpassed 100 million.
The 100-million milestone is achieved in three and a half years since TeliaSonera, a telecom operator in Sweden and Finland, launched the world's first LTE service using Samsung Electronics' handsets. As many as 90 percent of the world's LTE subscribers are located in five countries, including Korea, Japan, the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Wireless Intelligence predicted that the number of the world's LTE subscribers may grow to 900 million by 2017 and reach a 1-billion mark within the first half of 2018. Wireless Intelligence also forecast that the number of telecom companies which provide commercialized LTE services will expand up to 400 in 120 countries by 2017.
