Ericsson's 2014 sub-Saharan Africa Mobility Report has revealed that in 2014 phone users in the region accessed 76,000 terabytes (TB) of data per month, double the 2013 figure of 37,500 TB per month.

According to a press statement figures for 2015 are expected to double again with mobile phone users accessing 147,000 TB per month.

The Ericsson report has noted that the rise of social media, content-rich apps and video content accessed from a new range of cheaper smartphones has prompted the increase.

"Consumers in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria are also increasingly using video TV and media services from their smartphones," the statement reads.

Fredrik Jejdling, regional head of Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa said, "Sub-Saharan Africa is currently undergoing a mobile digital revolution with consumers, networks and even media companies are wakening up the possibilities of 3G and 4G technology. We have seen the trend emerging over a few years but in the past twelve months the digital traffic has increased over 100% forcing us to revise our existing predictions."

The report also found that in the next five years voice call traffic in sub-Saharan Africa will double and there will be an explosion in mobile data with usage growing 20 times, twice the anticipated global expansion.

Jejdling added, "The rise of cheap smartphones will allow vast portions of the population from middle classes in cities to small businesses in rural areas access to mobile broadband."