More Than 1bn Devices Will Incorporate Fingerprint Readers in 2017

More than 1bn devices, predominantly smartphones, will incorporate fingerprint readers in early 2017 – with each sensor being used, on average, 30 times a day – according to Deloitte’s latest telecommunications trends predictions.

There will be over 10 trillion uses of fingerprint scanners this year, with approximately 40 per cent of all smartphones in developed countries incorporating a fingerprint reader by the year’s close – up from 30 per cent as of mid-2016. At least 80 per cent of those with the readers will use the sensors regularly, up from 69 per cent in mid-2016.

Paul Lee, head of technology, media and telecommunications research at Deloitte said: “The rapid pace of adoption of this technology will likely be met with additional applications that could use fingerprint readers to provide fast and secure authentication.

“The fingerprint has proven to be the most popular form of biometric security on smartphones and the concept of fingerprint security is increasingly becoming normalised. This is important: as fingerprint security becomes more common, consumers will find it easier – and will be more willing to pay for goods and services using their smartphones.”

Deloitte also predicts that significant steps will be taken towards the launch of 5G, with enhanced 4G networks – namely LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro, which incorporate many core 5G components – being made commercially available.

It is predicted that, by the end of 2017, more than 200 carriers are likely to offer LTE-Advanced across some of their network – with a further 20 having LTE-Advanced Pro networks. Features of these will include significantly higher speeds, lower latency, and support for low-power internet of things devices and sensors.

Dan Adams, lead UK partner for telecommunications at Deloitte, said: “The technology building blocks for 5G readiness are being deployed in 2017, and in some markets are already in place. By the end of 2017 more than 200 carriers will offer these ‘5G-lite’ services across their networks, enabling hundreds of millions of users to access maximum speeds in the hundreds of Mbit/s.

“5G is likely to have a big bang impact. Its long fuse, which incorporates interim milestones in the forms of LTE-A and LTE-A Pro, has already been lit. 5G is undoubtedly a significant, complex upgrade following the culmination of many years of sustained upgrades to 4G networks.”