Ericsson forecasts 3.8B mobile broadband connections by 2015

Picking up on its forecast that there would be 50 billion wirelessly connected devices by 2020, Ericsson ( ERIC) today announced it expects one billion mobile broadband connections worldwide by the end of the year on its way to 3.8 billion connections by 2015.
The equipment giant noted that the market for mobile broadband connections surpassed the 500 million mark in 2010 and that it expects that number to at least double over the next 12 months. The company said it expects 80% of that growth to occur in the Asia-Pacific region, with North America and Western Europe to chip in more than 200 million connections.
Of course, these predictions are subject to change as marketing ethos dictate. Ericsson has on several occasions noted that its 50 billion connected device proclamation was more of a marketing figure than anything based on solid evidence so your mileage may vary.