There will be one billion Android users within the next six to nine months, with the two billion milestone approaching “within a year or two”, Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, said yesterday.

Speaking at the D:Dive into Mobile event, Schmidt said there are more than 750 million Android devices in use today, with 1.5 million Android activations every day. Driving this is broad support for the platform, which is supported by “in the order of 320 operators… in 160 countries”.

The executive noted the potential for Android in emerging markets, “especially as prices fall”. Supporting this growth will be the emergence of “a new generation of very low-cost Android phone manufacturers… primarily from Asia”.

Noting the speed at which new technology enters the market and high-end features trickle down, Schmidt said that today’s devices “in two years will be significantly cheaper, and in four years they are phenomenally cheaper”.

He continued: “A relatively inexpensive smartphone with a strong and good browser is sort of what you need to access the world’s information. That’s what people need, that’s what they are going to get.”