LTE has well and truly hit the mainstream, dominating new subscriptions for the last three quarters, according to the latest GSA figures.
During the first quarter LTE subscriptions increased by 123.7 million, over 58% higher than the 77.9 million new connections for 3G/W-CDMA/HSPA. GSM 2G subscriptions meanwhile fell by 100 million.
As of the end of March there were 635 million LTE subscriptions worldwide, the GSA said. In the last year alone there were 382 million new connections, equivalent to 151.4% annual growth.
GSA vice president of research Allen Hadden said LTE growth is being “driven by demand for an improved user experience of mobile broadband and the wider access to smartphones.”
APAC meanwhile increased its share of global LTE subscriptions to 49%, compared to 38% a year ago. China alone had 162 million LTE subscriptions by March this year, gaining 64 million during the first quarter alone.
Second-ranked North America's share fell from 45% to 28.3%. Europe's market share is also improving, reaching 16.4% by the end of the first quarter.
“Deployment of LTE-Advanced systems is a major industry trend. GSA forecasts the market will grow to over 1 billion LTE subscriptions worldwide by the end of 2015,” Hadden commented. Previously-released GSA data show that around 30% of LTE operators are investing in LTE-A.