Global mobile user to increase 14 times by 2022, says Ericsson

Ericsson has disclosed that global mobile subscriptions would hit 1.03 billion by 2022 and 14 times increment in smartphone usage, with an estimated manufacturing of about 75 million cellular Internet of Things (IoT) devices that would connect more people by 2022.

This was part of a report by Ericsson’s forecast for 2020. However, managing director of Ericsson Nigeria, Mr. Rutger Reman, who doubles as Ericsson’s vice president, said the global technology evolution has made it necessary for Nigeria to go digital, adding that global indoor wireless data traffic would grow more than 600 per cent by 2020.

Reman stressed that in going digital, there was need for Nigeria and other African countries to be at par with developed economies.

The Ericsson VP noted that the fifth technology evolution, the IoT and cloud computing were available technology that could digitise the entire country through smart cities development, if well embraced and adopted.

According to him, the resultant effect of the global growth would be increased growth of e-commerce, million hours YouTube video viewing, growth in smartphone subscription on a daily basis, increase in Facebook subscriptions, financial technology (FinTech) solutions and more crowd funding to boost technology startups. All these would lead to global industry transformation that Nigeria and other African countries must take advantage of.

Reman, who said that he was passionate about digitalising Nigeria, also listed strategies to achieve the feat, including smart transport, smart building, smart travel, smart work, smart agriculture and land usage, smart services, among others, which he said, would be driven completely by information and communications technology (ICT).

“By the time all these are established, more people, estimated to be above 70 per cent, would live in the cities by 2050,” Reman added.

He further explained that, for Nigeria to take advantage of the global revolution, the country must begin to invest in smart cities development. He said it would be nice when smart cities initiatives were developed in several cities of the country, to reduce the influx of people into few cities of the country. He, however, stressed the need for broadband availability to drive the entire process of digital transformation.

Head, Network Products at Ericsson Nigeria, Fisayo Araoye, during her presentation said Ericsson’s radio system and Radio Dot Live present a solution to wireless connectivity are solutions for site management, especially as site space is scarce.

Also, Head, IT and cloud, Ericsson Nigeria, Mr. Oluwaseun Solanke, said the emergence of new technologies would boost digital operations, engagement and services.

Advertisements