Mobile service providers must scale up to meet subscriber growth, continued digital shift

Mobile operators must continue to expand their network capacity to support rising demand for mobile connectivity and match customers’ increasing reliance on digital services. According to international mobile industry organization GSMA, subscriber growth will persist within the next three years along with an increase in mobile services’ contribution to the global economy.

In its recently published The Mobile Economy 2022 Report, GSMA projected that there will be nearly 400 million new mobile subscribers by 2025, 148 million of whom will come from the Asia Pacific region. The group added that “mobile data will more than triple in most regions over the next six years, driven by increasing smartphone adoption and video usage.”

GSMA previously reported that over 333 million people from across the Asia Pacific region will start to use mobile internet for the first time by 2025. This will take the penetration rate to 52% of the region’s total population.

Asia Pacific subscribers are already known to be some of the world’s biggest users of mobile data, tied only with North American users in consuming 12 GB per smartphone per month in 2020. This is expected to rise to 37 GB per smartphone monthly in 2026.

Globe, the Philippines’ leader in Mobile, logged a record mobile data traffic in 2021 at 3,733 petabytes, a 48% year-on-year growth from 2,517 petabytes in 2020. In the first quarter of the year, mobile data traffic soared to 1,058 petabytes, up from 836 petabytes last year, reflecting a 27% growth year-on-year.

“The value of consistent mobile and data service delivery cannot be overstated, especially in terms of how it enables connectivity and sparks much needed innovation, creative solutions, and economic growth at a time when the pandemic still casts its shadow,” said Darius Delgado, Head of Globe Consumer Mobile Business.

Delgado said Globe remains focused on building up its network aggressively by allocating P89 billion this year for the construction of new cell sites, upgrading existing sites to 4G/LTE, accelerating the rollout of 5G connectivity, and boosting the fiberization of Filipino homes nationwide.

Globe’s network expansion is aligned with its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 9, which highlights the role of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development.

Globe expects the uptrend in mobile business to continue given greater mobility with the easing pandemic.

“The considerable amount of data traffic confirms our customers’ growing dependence on digital services, as well as their preference for and reliance on the Globe network for their daily needs,” Delgado said.

To know more about Globe, visit www.globe.com.ph.