Global 4G LTE subscribers will be reaching 73.3 million by the end of 2012, up 334 percent from 16.9 million in 2011, according to a report by IHS iSuppli.
Additionally, the report predicts triple-digit growth of 181 percent at 205.7 million4 G LTE subscribers by the end of 2013. By 2016, 4G LTE subscribers will reach nearly 1.2 billion strong.
The growth will be supported by rapid 4G long term evolution (LTE) network deployments and the convergence of electronic devices, including smartphones, media tablets and mobile PCs.
The report suggests that such convergence allows manufacturers to create a market strategy in which applications can be leveraged across multiple devices through a common user interface.
Subscribers to the older 3G technology will continue to outnumber 4G LTE users, but the pace of growth for 3G will be significantly slower and not exceed 35 percent at any point from this year onward.
Francis Sideco, senior principal analyst for wireless communications at HIS, said that the chief agent for the wireless industry's continuing growth lies in the high-speed, low-latency performance delivered by 4G LTE.
The report finds that companies are relying on a line of approach emphasizing convergence. For instance, Microsoft is adopted a pursuit of a common operating system (OS) kernel on its computers, Windows phones and the soon-to-be-launched Surface tablet.
The report says that universal OS and user-interface platform is a critical foundation to foster ecosystem development and will lead to wider market adoption of the mobile platform.
Walking on the lines of convergence, Google is unveiling new insight into its strategy after having acquired Motorola Mobility for $12 billion.