Mobile Data Traffic Expected to Increase Sevenfold Over the Next Five Years
M2M Among Mobile Connection Types Expected to Grow Fastest

Cisco announced the '2016-2021 Cisco Mobile Visual Networking Index (hereinafter Mobile VNI)', which forecasts global mobile trends worldwide.

Cisco projects that the number of global mobile users in 2021 will reach 5.5 billion, exceeding bank accounts (5.4 billion), tap water (5.3 billion), and landline phones (2.9 billion). This corresponds to approximately 71% of the global population expected to be 7.8 billion in 2021. Driven by the increase in mobile users, rapid growth in smartphone and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, improved network speeds, and mobile video consumption, mobile data traffic is expected to increase sevenfold over the next five years.

Korea's mobile user base is projected to reach 45.4 million, representing approximately 88% of the total population in 2021, and mobile data traffic in Korea is expected to increase fivefold compared to 2016.

The number of mobile devices per capita in 2021 is projected to be 1.5 units, and the total number of devices including M2M (Machine to Machine) modules is expected to reach 12 billion units. The mobile network connection speed of 6.8 Mbps in 2016 is predicted to increase to approximately 20.4 Mbps by 2021, roughly threefold faster.


In Korea, the proportion of mobile data traffic is expected to increase from 7% in 2016 to 16% in 2021. In 2021, the number of mobile devices per capita is projected to average 3.6 units, and the average network connection speed is expected to increase approximately 1.5 times faster from 30.34 Mbps in 2016 to 44.27 Mbps in 2021.

Cisco analyzed that IoT applications will continue to gain popularity among individual users and enterprises, with M2M expected to grow fastest among mobile connection types.

Additionally, 4G is expected to support 58% of total mobile connections globally in 2021 and account for 79% of total mobile data traffic. The number of smartphones including phablets is projected to grow from 3.6 billion units in 2016 to 6.2 billion units in 2021, exceeding 50% of global devices and connections.

In Korea, 4G is expected to support 68.8% of total mobile connections in 2021 and account for 93% of total mobile data traffic. The number of domestic smartphones is projected to reach 57 million units in 2021, a 1.2-fold increase compared to 2016.

Globally, 5G is expected to account for 1.5% of total mobile data traffic in 2021 and generate 4.7 times more traffic than 4G. In Korea, 5G is projected to account for 6.9% of total mobile data traffic in 2021 and generate 4.8 times more connections than 4G.

Doug Webster, Vice President of Marketing for Cisco's Service Provider Segment, stated, "With the proliferation of Internet of Things, mobile live video, and augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) applications, along with increased innovative experiences for personal and business users, 5G technology will play an important role not only in mobile but across the entire network," and explained, "Supporting the realization of 5G and addressing more requirements both now and in the future will require broader large-scale architectural innovations including programming capabilities and automation."