The global smartphone user base will touch a momentous figure of 1.75 billion in 2014 driven by developing countries' market like Asia-Pacific and Africa, says a new report by research firm eMarketer.
eMarketer, in its 'Worldwide Mobile Phone Users: H1 2014 Forecast and Comparative Estimates' report said that the affordability is the prime reason for the increase in the number of smartphone users globally.
"The global smartphone audience surpassed the 1 billion mark in 2012 and will total 1.75 billion in 2014. eMarketer expects smartphone adoption to continue on a fast-paced trajectory through 2017," said the firm.
The report also said that the total number of mobile phone users will touch 4.55 billion in 2014 and the mobile devices will be used as computing devices.
"eMarketer expects 4.55 billion people worldwide to use a mobile phone in 2014. Mobile adoption is slowing, but new users in the developing regions of Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa will drive further increases," it added.
It said that around two-fifths of all mobile phone users, close to one-quarter of the worldwide population, will use a smartphone at least monthly this year and the mobile phone users will switch to smartphones as it offers internet and good features at low price.
"More than 2.23 billion people worldwide, 48.9 per cent of mobile phone users, will go online via mobile at least monthly in 2014 and over half of the mobile audience will use the mobile Internet next year," eMarketer said.
An earlier report of Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International had claimed that the number of mobile internet users in India will reach 155 million by March and 185 million by June, registering a quarter-on-quarter growth of 20 percent. The report had also noted thatthe mobile internet users in urban India will touch 126 million by March 2014, and will grow further to 153 million by June
