No doubt, penetration of smartphones globally and mainly in Nigeria has been on the rise in the last six years when data services began to stabilize among major GSN networks and few Internet Services Providers. Smartphone market rose to over $210bn in 2016 and may hit $355bn by 2020. Factors that aided the rise in smartphones in Nigeria include mainly status syndrome and use of data for access to social media and to a lesser extent, business.
According to a new study from IHS Markit, the global smartphone installed base grew from four billion devices in 2016, to hit more than six billion smartphones in use by 2020.
In Nigeria, as at third quarter of 2016, smartphone penetration, according to Africa Infotech Consulting (AIC) was 30 per cent with features phones having 70 per cent penetration.
Analysts say the impact of the smartphone is its ability to bridge the technology and infrastructure gap that exists in the developing world. Besides, access to mobile technology, and increasingly affordable smartphones, offers incredible promise and economic opportunities for individuals and companies globally.
Ian Fogg, a director at IHS Technology said, “Mobile innovations, new business models and mobile technologies are transforming every adjacent market as the mobile industry diversifies from the maturing smartphone market, “revenues for smartphones shipped in 2020 will total $355 billion.
“We’ve already seen over the past few years how OTT messaging apps offering free or low cost communications have disrupted traditional telco SMS-based business models and their transition into providing wider service, commerce and device platforms threaten further disruption.
