Ericsson has published a new Traffic and Market Report that predicts 85% of the world’s population will have 3G coverage by 2017. In addition, 50% of the world’s population will be covered by 4G LTE networks.

Smartphone ownership will have reached around three billion in 2017, compared to 700 million in 2011, and there’ll be approaching nine billion mobile subscriptions worldwide. Ericsson has calculated there are currently 6.2 billion mobile phones worldwide.

Android will remain the most-shipped smartphone operating system for the next five years according to the International Data Corporation, although Android’s market share will start to decline after 2012. Smartphone shipments are forecast to grow 38.8% year-on-year to 686 million units in 2012.

IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker predicts a total of almost 1.8 billion mobile phones being shipped this year, a 4% increase from 2011’s total. This overall slow growth is mainly due to a decline in feature phone shipments. However, feature phones are still expected to comprise 61.6% of the total mobile phone market this year.

Google has acquired Quickoffice, which produces mobile office productivity applications for Android, Apple iOS and Symbian handsets.

Quickoffice enables users to access Microsoft Office documents and update them from a mobile device.

Enterprise IT business Citrix has agreed to acquire California-based Bytemobile, which it describes as a leading provider of data and video optimisation solutions for mobile network operators.

It notes that the acquisition expands its market reach by providing a foothold in the core infrastructure of more than 130 mobile operators in 60 countries. Both companies had formed a strategic partnership earlier this year.

Vodafone Group has taken a controlling stake in Invitation Digital Limited, the parent company of mobile coupon provider Vouchercloud. It now has a 57% stake in IDL, having originally taken a 21% stake in May last year.

The news came as Vouchercloud expanded beyond the UK into Ireland. Further country launches, along with details of Vouchercloud integration into Vodafone m-commerce activities, are expected in the future.