Many Mobile Industry Stats Updated Including Uniques, Mobile Internet, SMS, mBanking

There have been a slew of mobile statistical sources issuing updates to their numbers recently. I know many of my readers like to receive these. Here are the big ones that I've spotted. (Also remember, on Twitter as @tomiahonen I will always comment and retweet any new stats that I find from any source, and very often they are not found by me but are stats that are sent to me as spotted by my followers).

 

Unique mobile subscriber count has been updated by the World Bank for 2015. This is the elusive number, we find easily the total subscriber count for the planet (now more mobile subscriptions in use than humans alive) but many of us have two or more accounts, so what is the actual unique user count. The World Bank now says 5.2 Billion human beings. That number is 72% of all humans alive, of any age including babies. It is utterly unprecedented for any technology including the internet, PC, TV, radio, even the wristwatch. Mobile is the most widely spread technology humans have ever experienced, used in places that have no electrical grid, no running water. It even extends beyond literacy as even an illiterate person can talk on a mobile phone.

And what do we do with the mobile? How about some internet stats? The ITU has updated their internet numbers for 2015 and now count a total of 3.2 Billion internet users in total. Most of those are of course now from mobile phones as I was the first to predict in my book back in 2002. But how many is that? The ITU tells us. The number of fixed internet users is down to 800 million so mobile internet migration is at 75%. Yes, no wonder Google prioritizes mobile-optimized websites ahead of traditional large-screen PC websites, when 3 out of every 4 internet users globally uses a mobile phone to get to the internet.

Mobile money and banking is a hot topic (and my 11tth book was the first in the world publiished solely on mobile money and banking). How big is the mobile banking user base this year? Juniper reports that this year 2015 is the moment when the planet passed the amazing level of 1 Blilion users of mobile phones for their banking. For context, the total number of banking accounts globally is 2.9 Billion so already more than one in three banking users worldwide, uses (at least part of the time) a mobile phone to access the banking services. Yeah, this is THE cannibal of cannibals, among any industry that ever was. Not the internet, but mobile.

Talking about mobile data services, how about the gorilla? The largest data service that humankind has ever seen. The one that utterly dwarfs Facebook or Whatsapp or Instagram or Twitter. The one thats almost twice the size of the total internet? Larger in active users than the total AUDIENCE of television or FM radio even when the shared use of those technologies, a large family watching one TV, is included. Larger in reach than the READERSHIP of newspapers even when the shared newspaper is read by several. What is the biggest data service that ever was (and keeps growing still). Yes, my readers know, its of course SMS text messaging. Portio has just counted the total active SMS user base for 2015 and they have it at 6.2 Billion. Note the clear difference with the unique user number reported before. Of course this count allows multiple subscriptions by one individual (often two phones) to be used where both have SMS traffic. Like our multiple eMail accounts or our multiple ownership of smartphones. But yes, that is a monster, monster number. 6,2 Bilion active SMS users worldwide. You thought Facebook was big? SMS reaches an audience four times larger! You like Whatsapp? SMS is six times bigger by active users. Can you now underestand why I keep harping about SMS all the time? (Oh, and my latest 'everything you ever wanted to know about mobile messaging' blog, with all the stats and 29 case studies - with numbers - is here.)

Portio gives us more. The relevant part of SMS for you, reading this blog, unless you work for a big telco, is not the person-to-person SMS (if you wanted to launch a competitor to that, you'd be more interested in Whatsapp and its peers). No, for most reading this blog, who are in marketing and advertising, or business development, or digital money, or customer service, or retail, or government or education or healthcare, etc, then you want the 'premium SMS' stats. The service that is called A2P and/or P2A in SMS (Application to Person). Sending us an alert when someone used our credit card. Requesting a password when we get blocked out of an internet service while travelling. Paying for parking, voting for TV, that sort of thing. How big is that part of SMS. Portio tells us. 22% of all SMS text messaging traffic this year is A2P or P2A traffic, ie 'premium SMS' traffic. Wow. And growing madly. Do not for one minute think that YOUR opportunity in mobile, is being killed by Whatsapp. Mobile first is always SMS first. If you are reading this blog, you have to understand the only gorilla in the room, in our industry. That is SMS. Yes, Mobile First always starts with SMS. Its not just what I've said for nearly two decades now, and still say every time I meet my clients. Its what essentially every expert in the industry is now saying, plus most of the major global corporations who win all the awards for best mobile innovations, from Coca Cola to Unilever to Mastercard to McDonalds. Did I mention I have the perfect primer for you with all the stats and case studies in SMS?

Wait, there is still more from Portio. They have updated their count of MMS users. Yes, yes, yes yes, we all hate that picture-sharing service but its not called PMS. Picture Messaging Service. It is called Multimedia Messaging Service, MMS. Multimedia. That is EVERYTHING that SMS hopes to be when it grows up. It is THE most powerful step up, after you did your SMS campaign. Why because every phone works with it, no apps are required and it doesn't need to be a smartphone. Better yet, every consumer knows how to open and read an MMS, because it behaves EXACTLY like SMS. Even better, to respond to MMS, the consumer responds EXACTLY like - and usually with - an SMS. The open rates are astronomical, the response rates are lightling-fast and the conversion rates are BETTER than with SMS. Duh. Don't think of it as person-to-person picture sharing. That is dumb. Think of it as the best multimedia vehicle to get to every pocket. Most of MMS revenues are CONTENT, premium content, video clips of movies, samples of new songs released, previews of TV shows, airline boarding passes, offers and coupons, barcodes, that kind of stuff. How many people use MMS in the world in 2015. Yes, more than total internet again. How big is MMS? 3.5 Billion active users in 2015. The second largest digital interactive data service on the planet. The second biggest! Why are you not using SMS and MMS? Oh, and you want MMS stats and MMS case studies? They are of course in this massive article I wrote about the everything guide to mobile messaging.

One last bit. The big data industry. How big is the analytics industry when only measured within mobile and ignoring all telco internal stats, but only the new commercial side of consumer analytics via mobile? All that spyware, all the consumer surveys, all the metrics collected by the mobile ad networks and searches etc? And the analytics of our apps use, etc. Ignoring all the behavior data collected by older legacy industries from TV to the internet, just the mobile consumer analytics business. How big is that? We have for the first time a count of that. In 2015 it is worth $1.3 Billion dollars, as reported by Markets and Markets. Personally, I think that number is way too low, but hey, we have for the first time a global count of that number now. Oh, and if you were not sure how mobile factors in with 'big data' (I say Mobile is the Magical Measurement Machine) then the definitive article on everything you ever wanted to know about mobile and big data, is here.

Yeah, its an early Christmas to all propeller-heads with this many new stats out. Enjoy. PS if you need to see where this industry is headed, the most accurate forecaster for the mobile industry is still me, and my latest global mobile forecast out earlier this year, is here. Get the best data and be ahead of the game!

Comments

[Lullz]

@abdul muis

1. Then tell what you think is the portion Apple has on the price range iPhone sells?

2. People who buy it can effectively afford it while they could use the money on something else.

3. The 2nd hand sales are the reason why Apple has a 20% market share.

@Tester

Right now is right now and may not be the same as what is the best in the future.

[chithanh]

With Apple's current strategy, the market share cannot grow any further. If Apple introduces substantially lower priced phones (as opposed to selling last year's model cheaper), this has the potential to cannibalize their high end sales. As Tester said, Apple will not sacrifice profits for market share, so don't expect this any time soon.
What happens next, Tomi predicts that iPhone market share will eventually drop below 10% followed by severe finger pointing.

Then we might see a new sound Apple strategy, or maybe management in panic and spending all money on cars etc. Selling cars btw. can lead to big profits, or it can become a costly disaster as VW has recently learned.

[Lullz]

@chithanh

So you are saying that Apple can't start selling cheaper phones because they eventually need to sell cheaper phones. Sounds like hopeful thinking. I'm not saying Apple will sell cheaper phones but they might do that.

[abdul muis]

@Lullz

It has been discussed here in the past, and the number of Apple iPhone latest generation might only captured about 15%-25% of premium market.

*You need to remember that apple did not break down it sales number (they also sell last year, last-last year, last-last-last year model), but this is in-line from various source that samsung/huawei/htc/sony/etc only sold 10%-20% of their device in premium sector. using this number, we got that apple is not 40% in premium market segment.

[abdul muis]

@Lullz

"So you are saying that Apple can't start selling cheaper phones because they eventually need to sell cheaper phones. Sounds like hopeful thinking. I'm not saying Apple will sell cheaper phones but they might do that."

They already lost the momentum of coolness. The androidOS already mature enough, and overleap iOS in many degree.

[Lullz]

@abdul muis

"It has been discussed here in the past, and the number of Apple iPhone latest generation might only captured about 15%-25% of premium market."

In that case Apple could grow the sales 4-6 times as big they were now assuming they would sell 100% of the premium segment. This is of course not going to happen but that's the theoretical limit according to you.

"They already lost the momentum of coolness. The androidOS already mature enough, and overleap iOS in many degree."

It's probably not about that.

[abdul muis]

@Lullz

"In that case Apple could grow the sales 4-6 times as big they were now assuming they would sell 100% of the premium segment. This is of course not going to happen but that's the theoretical limit according to you."

If you really think like a iFanboy, I really have nothing more to say...

[Lullz]

@abdul muis

"If you really think like a iFanboy, I really have nothing more to say..."

You obviously think like a fandroid if you are saying that as a response to my perfectly valid math.

If you say Apple is currently selling 25% of the phones sold in the segment iPhone is being sold, this means that 75% of those people could afford iPhone but are not buying one.

Some people are saying Apple is already selling to (almost) everyone who could afford iPhone. This is not true since those 75% can afford one but are not buying iPhone.

Do you understand what a theoretical limit is and what it means?

[abdul muis]

@Lullz

"You obviously think like a fandroid if you are saying that as a response to my perfectly valid math.

If you say Apple is currently selling 25% of the phones sold in the segment iPhone is being sold, this means that 75% of those people could afford iPhone but are not buying one.

Some people are saying Apple is already selling to (almost) everyone who could afford iPhone. This is not true since those 75% can afford one but are not buying iPhone.

Do you understand what a theoretical limit is and what it means? "

From previous post:
"In that case Apple could grow the sales 4-6 times as big"

You were assuming that everyone that could afford iPhone WILL/MUST/EVENTUALLY buy one. That's why I don't really have anything more to add....
Not everyone want to wear the same product/brand as anyone else, and that's the reason why I told you, the math you were using is wrong. You were justifying that Apple the best, and those who can afford one, will move to it.

"You obviously think like a fandroid if you are saying that as a response to my perfectly valid math."

LOL. again... I seen your post here, you really have too much time to write, and I really have nothing to add.

[Lullz]

@abdul muis

"You were assuming that everyone that could afford iPhone WILL/MUST/EVENTUALLY buy one"

No, this is a lie from you. I did not say that.

I also said this right after the quote you copied to your post: "This is of course not going to happen but that's the theoretical limit according to you."

Why are you trying to make me say something I didn't say? Your claim is of course a lie and something a fandroid tries to do.

[abdul muis]

@Lullz

Sorry if I offend you, English is not my primary language.

When I see the word:
"In that case Apple could grow the sales 4-6 times as big they were now assuming they would sell 100% of the premium segment. This is of course not going to happen but that's the theoretical limit according to you."

I think you were saying that I can't understand how good apple/iOS were, and if what I said is true, then, apple would sell 4-6x, and getting 40%-60% of premium market share... and you can't understand this, because you were 'stupid/fandroid'.

If you didn't mean that I'm sorry.

[abdul muis]

Correction....

I think you were saying that I can't understand how good apple/iOS were, and if what I said is true, then, apple would sell 4-6x, and getting 40%-60% of premium market share... and I can't understand this, because I were 'stupid/fandroid'.

[Lullz]

@abdul muis

No problem. No harm done. Thanks for explaining this.

I didn't mean that.

I was simply trying to say that there are lots of people who could *in theory* by iOS device but are probably not going to do that. Apple selling 25% of the phones sold in that price segment is just that. 75% of those people are not buying iOS device and it's very possible this won't change in the future.

Apple sold 192 million phones in 2014. If 25% is the correct number, it would mean that the size of the market is about 768 million/year.

If and when Apple hits the limit of the iPhone sales, it's most likely not because everyone able to afford one is buying one. They simply decide to choose another OS instead of iOS. Apple is of course trying to make people to choose iOS and if they manage to sell 35% instead of 25% that would be about 269 million. Then again if Apple sells only 15% instead of 25% that would be 115 million.

It looks like the number of people able to afford iPhone is not that big problem to Apple but people choosing another OS instead is. Of course assuming Apple is selling only 15%-25% of the phones sold in the price range of iPhone.

[abdul muis]

@Lullz

and thanks for explaining that.

[chithanh]

@Lullz
> So you are saying that Apple can't start selling cheaper phones because they eventually need to sell cheaper phones. Sounds like hopeful thinking. I'm not saying Apple will sell cheaper phones but they might do that.

Apple doesn't need to sell cheaper phones. Just they'll lose market share until they do. But selling cheaper phones is not compatible with their current profit maximization strategy. Maybe when they approach 10% market share the management will come under pressure to change this strategy. (Or maybe they will panic and start frivolously spending money and developer talent on cars like Blackberry did on tablets. However that is less likely.)

[Lullz]

@chithanh

You are saying how Apple needs to stay above 10% in the end of the day and they need cheaper phones for that. At the same time you are saying how Apple can't start selling cheaper phones before they actually fell below the 10% limit.

If Apple really needs to stay above 10% limit and the cheaper phones are what is needed for that, I'm fairly sure Apple will react to that sooner than later. You have a different opinion but I'm guessing it's because you wish Apple will fall below 10% limit. At the same time you probably hope Apple will not release a cheaper phone.

[chithanh]

@Lullz
Let me explain to you again in clear words.

I don't say anywhere they need to stay above 10%. Tomi says there is going to be severe finger pointing inside Apple when they drop below that number. But on the outside this fact alone will not make much of a difference.

And I said that as Tester has asserted, Apple is currently running a profit maximization strategy which I think precludes them from releasing cheaper phones. It's not that Apple can't release them, but it requires a shift in strategy. And I said that approaching 10% will maybe provide motivation for such a shift in strategy.