49 percent amounts to almost half of the total population on earth with mobile phones! By the end of 2007, there were 3.3 billion mobile phone users and Africa tops the list in adding new subscribers everyday to the list followed by Asia. The statistics were presented by International Telecommunications Union.
And while the increase in mobile phone subscribers globally is going up by 22 percent, there is just 1 percent growth in fixed-line users every year. Sad news for fixed-line phone manufacturers and companies!
“The continued growth in the mobile sector is matched by no-growth in the fixed-line sector. Fixed telephone penetration has been stagnating at just under 20 percent globally for the last years and growth has been below one percent between 2005 and 2007,” states the report.
But the good news is that the developing countries are finally outshining the developed nations in terms of connectivity and networking, as there is 39 percent growth of mobile phone consumers in Africa and 28 percent in Asia recorded, from 2005 to 2007. Want some more of numerical statistics? Here is some mind-boggling one – India alone has 154 million new subscribers followed by China with 143 million new subscribers per year.
And the numbers are estimated to go up some time soon!
Now, the countries on top will have to watch out in one sector if they don’t want to lag behind. The high-income countries are ahead in the broadband scenario. “Low-income countries, where broadband access remains very low, risk falling behind in an area that is particularly important in delivering innovative applications and services,” warns International Telecommunications Union.
Although they have just 16 percent of world population, they account for 66 percent of all fixed broadband subscribers; while developing countries have 38 percent of the world’s population but show just 1percent of fixed broadband users!