The global LTE subscriber base grew to reach the 250 million milestone during the first quarter, and Japan is the second-largest LTE market in the world, Ovum estimates.
South Korea is the most penetrated market, with a total population uptake of 47% by the end of the quarter, the research firm said.
But the US remains the largest LTE market by subscribers, with Korea in third place behind Japan. And of the seven operators worldwide with more than 10 million total customers, the majority are either from the US or Japan.
By mid-2014, there were 34 LTE deployments in 16 markets within the APAC region. APAC's mobile broadband subscriber base meanwhile surpassed 1 billion, Ovum said.
While LTE the fastest-growing mobile broadband technology, it currently accounts for just over 9% of the region's total mobile broadband base.
Australia is the world's fourth largest LTE market. Together with Japan and Korea, the three markets accounted for 32% of global LTE subscriptions in the first quarter.
“Ovum forecasts the number of LTE subscriptions globally to exceed 2 billion by 2019, accounting for 25% of mobile broadband subscriptions. By that time one in three people will use an LTE device.” Ovum senior analyst Thecla Mbongue said.