GSMA Intelligence: Smartphones will dominate market by 2020 

The study excludes M2M from the totals. The study also found that today M2M comprises the same is one out of every three mobile connections. Basic phones, feature phones and data terminals like tablets and routers will account for the remaining connections.

“The smartphone has sparked a wave of global innovation that has brought new services to millions and efficiencies to businesses of every type,” said Hyunmi Yang, CSO, GSMA, in a press release. “As the study released today shows, smartphones will be the driving force of mobile industry growth over the next six years, with one billion new smartphone connections expected over the next 18 months alone.”

Smartphone shifts focus
This study finds that the developing world overtook the developed in terms of global smartphone connections in 2011 and today two out of every three mobile phones is a smartphone. It also predicted that by 2020, that smartphones will account for 75% connections worldwide, from the developing world.

In spite of the penetration rate of less than 40 percent, nearly half of the global connections today are from Asia Pacific. With more than 629 million smartphone connections, this region’s total is boosted by the inclusion of China, which is the world’s largest smartphone market.