(Asia Pulse via NewsEdge) The Asia-Pacific region will account for around 50% of the world's total number of mobile phone subscribers by the end of the decade, according to a new report.
UK-based research company Portio Research said in its "Worldwide Mobile Market Forecasts 2006-2011" report that the number of subscribers in China and India, the world's two biggest mobile markets, will hit a staggering 1.067 billion by 2011.
By this time, Portio expects there to be a whopping 3.96 billion mobile phone subscribers worldwide, up from 2 billion at the end of 2005.
At this rate, half the world's population will subscribe to a mobile phone service by 2009, according to the report.
The report found India to have the most growth potential over the next five years, just ahead of China, Brazil, Indonesia and Nigeria.
The US mobile market ranked 6th in terms of growth potential, coming in ahead of fast developing markets such as Pakistan, with an estimated 66 million net additions from the start of 2006 to the end of 2011.
Japan ranked 18th with a predicted 14 million net subscriber additions by 2011, Portio said.
By 2011, around 35% of the Asia Pacific region will be subscribers of 3G services, making it the largest regional 3G market in the world with 1.06 billion subscribers, the report said.
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