CALIFORNIA, USA: The number of worldwide mobile subscribers will reach 5.9 billion by 2013.

This is according to communications industry market research firm Infonetics Research's new Fixed and Mobile Subscribers market forecast report.

The number of mobile subscribers grew 17.4 percent in 2008 over 2007, while access line subscribers declined 5.5 percent, the report adds.

Stéphane Téral, principal analyst, mobile and FMC infrastructure, Infonetics Research, says: "The global recession did not prevent people from using communication services, but it clearly accelerated the pace of wireline-to-mobile substitution. China, which had half a billion mobile subscribers in 2008, and India together make Asia Pacific the world's largest mobile subscriber region, now and into the future."

"The EMEA region is next, with strong growth driven by Africa. Mobile subscriptions will continue to grow strongly over at least the next five years, driven mainly by basic voice service needs in these regions, particularly in BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China)," projects, adds  Téral.

Report Highlights
There were nearly four times more mobile subscribers than access line subscribers worldwide in 2008 (3.9 billion vs. 1 billion).

Access lines are disappearing fastest in North America and China, due to the move to fixed-to-mobile substitutions, the switch from copper to fiber lines, and the recession, during which many people ditch their landlines and keep only their mobile or smartphone.

The number of PON FTTH subscribers worldwide is expected to soar at a compound annual growth rate of 32 percent from 2008 to 2013.