Global smartphone subscriptions to double by 2020: Ericsson

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Global subscriptions for smartphones will more than double by 2020, helping mobile data traffic to ninefold, the world's largest telecoms network gear maker Ericsson predicted on Wednesday. The Swedish company said it expected there will be 6.1 billion smartphone subscriptions globally by the end of 2020, up from 2.6 billion in 2014. "Advanced mobile technology will be globally ubiquitous by 2020 with 70 percent of people using smartphones and 90 percent covered by mobile broadband networks," it said in its semi-annual Mobility Report. Ericsson made no major changes compared to its previous forecast in November. It said video is expected to increase its share of total mobile traffic in 2020 to 60 percent, up from an earlier projection of 55 percent and compared to around 45 percent in 2014. (Reporting by Olof Swahnberg; Editing by Jussi Rosendahl)