You’ve seen it, heard it, read about it. Mobile is everywhere (and not just because it’s mobile!). As a technology, it’s rapidly evolving and shaping the way we communicate, the way we interact, and how we access information at work and on-the-go. But just how quickly is it growing? How much is the rise of mobile really affecting our business and our personal lives?

We’ve pulled together some of the most relevant, and possibly shocking, mobile statistics to help give you a better picture of what exactly is happening with Mobile.

10 Mobile Statistics You Have to See to Believe:

• Global mobile data traffic in 2011 (597 petabytes per month) was over eight times greater than the total global Internet traffic in 2000 (75 petabytes per month). (source)
• Smartphone penetration of total mobile subscribers in 2011 was 38.4%. Smartphone penetration in 2012 (so far) = 50.4% (source). That’s a 31.25% increase (and we’re only just halfway through).
• Average smartphone usage nearly tripled in 2011. The average amount of traffic per smartphone in 2011 was 150 MB per month, up from 55 MB per month in 2010. (source)
• Global mobile data traffic grew 2.3-fold in 2011, more than doubling for the fourth year in a row, and is expected to increase 18-fold from 2011 to 2016. (source)
• 41% of all cell phone users use their phone to go online or access email in a typical day. (source)
• According to Statcounter, at the end of June 2012, 10.4% of all website traffic came from mobile devices. (source)
• Mobile network connection speeds grew 66% in 2011. (source)
• Today in US and Western Europe, 90% of mobile subscribers have an Internet-ready phone. (source)
• Over 100 million smartphone users will belong to the “gigabyte club” (over 1 GB of data usage per month) by 2012. (source)
• The number of mobile-connected devices will exceed the world’s population in 2012. (source)

The question remains whether businesses are prepared for this mobile explosion, or if the great majority is behind the curve. Fortunately, there are options out there for those ready to take the lead, and they’re much easier and faster to implement than you’d expect.