Mobile phone users in Southeast Asia is expected to hit 453.3 million subscribers by year-end, up 18.4 per cent from 2008, international consultant Frost & Sullivan said.
In its outlook for Southeast Asia, the company said billings were expected to grow 13.6 per cent, year-on-year, to US$32 billion in 2009.
The company estimated the region's mobile subscriber base to reach 606 million by 2014, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of eight per cent.
Company industry analyst Shaker Amin said based on the diversity of Southeast Asia markets, the growth would be driven by a mix of subscribers, including those in rural areas, who would receive mobile connectivity for the first time as networks continue to expand beyond urban areas.
He said the increase in data usage and higher-end services, brought on by 3G, was also expected to contribute to the increase in mobile users.
Amin added that growth in the saturated markets of Singapore and Malaysia would be marginal but it would be largely fuelled by user migration to 3G, mobile broadband uptake and higher consumer appetite for mobile content and data services.
He said mobile usage in Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines would continue to be dominated by voice and basic text messaging services.
"Although 3G will be making its entry into many of these markets, it will be some years still before 3G services become commonplace," Amin added.
Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam each have no less than six mobile operators but Indonesia has the most with 11.
"As operators compete fiercely to enrol new subscribers, 3G will be the technology to eventually deliver mobile broadband to the rural communities that are not likely to ever receive fixed broadband access," Amin added.
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