Mobile trade body 3G Americas has forecast that the GSM-HSPA subscriber base will reach 4 billion mobile connections worldwide in September.
US take-up of the 3GPP evolution from GSM to HSPA grew by more than 19% in the year ending June 2009 to 561 million subscribers with a market share of 72%. Globally, GSM-HSPA grew by 20% adding nearly 645 million new connections in the same 12 months.
3G UMTS-HSPA subs expanded 57% in the year ending June 2009, according to Informa Telecoms & Media's World Cellular Information Service. At the end of Q2 UMTS-HSPA had 377 million subscriptions worldwide, 137 million new connections in 12 months.
President of 3G Americas, Chris Pearson said “in some countries, wireless penetration levels are exceeding 100%, as now, not only people, but machines, are connected through GSM technology, available today on nearly 800 networks in 219 countries worldwide.”
Today 49 UMTS-HSPA networks operating in 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.