Ovum: APAC will hold half of world’s mobile broadband users by 2015

Analyst first Ovum is predicting that the ever increasing mobile broadband market in Asia Pacific will grow to account for almost half (49%) of the world’s connections by 2015 with the region’s market value tipped to  double during the same period.

With smartphones continuing to grow from a relatively small base across much of Asia the projected figures – both in terms of connection and profit – are not unexpected for Asia with some key western markets approaching the point where are about to outnumber (non-smart) feature phones for the first time.

More details form Computerworld Australia:

An increase in the use of smartphones will cause the Asia Pacific mobile broadband market to double its revenues by 2015, Ovum has predicted.

In a new forecast from the analyst firm, it was found that 1.5 billion mobile broadband connections will be created in the region and account for 49 per cent of connections worldwide.

Cost is cited as the key reason that smartphones will dominate mobile broadband ahead of laptops and tablets, as the latter two devices remain out of reach to many whereas the growth in budget smartphones – fuelled by Android, with an entry-level iPhone rumoured to be coming soon – is enabling many who not normally enjoy access to get online.

“Devices such as laptops are less affordable in these markets,” Hartley said in a statement. “However, low-end feature phones or smartphones are much more attainable, and many consumers will use these as their only form of internet access, driving connections growth.”

Hartley said continued rises in mobile broadband connections would limit opportunities for further growth in the big-screen market of laptops and tablets.

Consumers now expect to be able to access services such as Facebook on their mobile phone, which is why we will see handset connections far outstripping big-screen connections by 2015.”

Meanwhile, another analyst firm Yankee Group has released its latest mobile app forecast predicting that by 2015, the worldwide market for app store revenue will hit nearly $36 billion, with Asia-Pacific the biggest generator accounting for almost half of all mobile app revenue – or a predicted $16 billion.

More details from the Yankee Group app store report can be found at this Business Wire announcement.