Federica Laricchia
Research expert covering the global consumer technology industry
Smartphones in Italy - statistics & facts
Being perhaps the most important segment in the consumer electronics industry in Italy, smartphones have developed into Italians' most irreplaceable piece of technology. Across the peninsula, the number of smartphone users has dramatically increased in the last five years and is forecast to peak at over 43 million users by 2023.
Samsung and Android rule over Apple
Despite their vital importance, most Italians seem less willing to buy pricy smartphones such as the iPhone. In 2022, the average amount spent on a smartphone was 350 U.S. dollars. In the same year, Samsung was the leading smartphone vendor, while Apple ranked second, holding almost 30 percent of the market. Furthermore, new vendors that run their devices on Android, for example, Xiaomi and Oppo, are gaining more and more in popularity. Consequently, the gap between Android and Apple’s operating system, iOS, is quite evident. In 2022, Android occupied over 70 percent of the mobile operating system market, while Apple’s iOS accounted for much of the remaining 30 percent.Internet more important than voice calls and SMSs
Nowadays, smartphones are mostly used to surf the internet, whether at home or outside. By contrast, voice calls and SMS are now made and sent through free messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Aware of this trend, mobile carriers have begun to offer increased volumes of data as part of their subscription plans. According to a 2023 Statista survey, most Italians had a subscription plan that included more than 12 GB. As regards to mobile carriers, the Italian telecommunication industry is mainly ruled by three major players - WindTre, Tim, and Vodafone – with each occupying around 30 percent of the market.A faster boot: 5G development
In recent years, the above-mentioned telco companies have been developing their 5G (fifth generation) services throughout the Italian peninsula to guarantee a better and faster connection. Providers invested millions of euros in 5G’s frequencies, trying to guarantee extensive reach and availability. Particularly, in 2022, WindTre recorded the highest 5G availability in the peninsula, with WindTre clients able to use 5G connection around 23 percent of the time.
