According to the latest report from ABI Research, about 487 million mobile subscribers will use HD-enabled handsets in 2015.
That may sound somewhat strange considering this market is virtually nonexistent today. ABI argues that growth is expected to ramp up quickly in 2013, and then skyrocket starting in 2014.
Initially, it will be mobile phone users in traditionally non-Western countries that will get to try out the HD mobile voice, since the networks there are newer and have been deployed in 2005-2006. In many countries of Eastern Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, the infrastructure is already in place and ready for HD voice, and all that’s left is to start offering HD voice-enabled handsets. 3G infrastructure in North America and Western Europe on the other hand is installed earlier and must be changed/upgraded to sing along HD voice.
Among the HD voice pioneers, ABI points to Orange which has already had some deployments in Eastern Europe, and is planning to expand the coverage into France and other Western European countries. The idea is clear – they plan to offer “better audio quality than their competitors” to the people. We’ve no doubts Vodafones, Telefonicas and T-Mobiles of the world will follow shortly.
And if you want to get more details, there’s a full report titled “Mobile HD Voice” which can be bought from ABI Research’s website.