According to market research firm eMarketer the number of smartphone users will witness significant rise in 2014 and may reach 1.75 billion this year.  It said that global mobile phone users will reach 4.55 billion in 2014
 
The prime reason for this the growing popularity of smartphones in the emerging markets like India and China.  "The global smartphone audience surpassed the 1 billion mark in 2012 and will total 1.75 billion in 2014. eMarketer expects smartphone adoption to continue on a fast-paced trajectory through 2017," the firm said.
 
It said that around two-fifths of all mobile phone users, close to one-quarter of the worldwide population, will use a smartphone at least monthly this year, it added.

"eMarketer expects 4.55 billion people worldwide to use a mobile phone in 2014. Mobile adoption is slowing, but new users in the developing regions of Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa will drive further increases," it added.

It said that more than 2.23 billion people worldwide, 48.9 per cent of mobile phone users, will go online via mobile at least monthly in 2014 and over half of the mobile audience will use the mobile Internet next year.