Number of mobile telephone subscriptions

Over the past five years, the number of mobile telephone subscriptions has increased due to a substantial decline in the prices of most standard mobile telephone plans, which has made mobile phones more affordable for demographics that previously could not afford or simply did not need mobile phones. Furthermore, the rising popularity of mobile internet has also bolstered the number of mobile telephone subscriptions. Prior to 2007, a mobile broadband connection was difficult and expensive to obtain. However, after Apple released the first iPhone in 2007, smartphones exploded into the mainstream. Other companies have also offered cheap, easy-to-use smartphones, contributing to growth. Though growth has slowed in recent years as the market for mobile phones has approached saturation, the number of mobile telephone subscriptions has nevertheless continued to expand. Mobile internet subscriptions dropped in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic necessitating quarantine. Layoffs caused by quarantine led to consumers cancelling mobile phone subscriptions. This was reversed in 2022 as the economy reopened. Over the five years to 2025, the number of mobile telephone subscriptions is expected to increase at an annualized rate of 2.0% to 37.7 million subscriptions.