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iPhone 5 and Galaxy smartphones drove huge LTE adoption in 2012

Published Jan 7th, 2013 4:25PM EST
LTE Adoption 2012

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Adoption of connected devices with integrated 4G LTE exploded in 2012, driven by Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy smartphone lineup and Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 5. According to a new report from market research firm ABI, global LTE-enabled connected device sales ballooned to 103 million units last year. Smartphones accounted for about 88% of all LTE devices sold with 91 million units, and just over 3.3 million LTE-enabled tablets were sold in 2012. “New sign-ups and conversion of 3G subscribers with LTE-capable handsets should gather pace in 2013 and 2014,” ABI research director Phil Solis said. “By 2017 we are anticipating 785 LTE million subscribers, up from 58 million at the end of 2012 – generating US$14 billion in annual service revenues.”

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.