India to eclipse China in mobile subscriptions before Q2 of 2012: report

The global mobile industry, the most vibrant and fastest growing in the world today, is expected to have revenues of  approximately $1.3 trillion in 2011, with India and China having the most subscribers, says a report.

Global mobile data revenues are expected to eclipse $300 billion for the first time in 2011. It is also the first year in which non-messaging data revenues will make up the majority of the overall global data revenues at 53 per cent, according to technology and strategy consulting firm Chetan Sharma in its latest State of the Global Mobile Industry report.

Sharma expects the total number of global subscriptions to exceed 6 billion by the end of 2011. While it took 20 years to reach the first 1 billion subscriptions, it will take only 15 months to exceed 6 billion by the end of 2011, says the report.

The primary growth drivers are India and China, which are cumulatively adding 75 million new subscribers every quarter. China is ahead by 50 million but India is adding subscriptions at faster rate and is likely to eclipse China before Q2 of 2012.

By then, both countries are expected to exceed 1 billion in total subscriptions or 31 per cent of the global subscriptions.

Although China leads in the number of subscribers, the US dominates in both total and data revenue, the report said.