UN News Centre: Mobile communication subscriptions soar to 4.6 billion, says UN body
6 October 2009 – The rapidly growing information and communications technology (ICT) industry is set to see mobile subscriptions reach 4.6 billion worldwide by the end of the year, according to figures released by the United Nations telecommunications arm today.
The data, published by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), reveals that the ICT market continues to expand unabated, with subscriptions for mobile broadband services topping 600 million in 2009, outstripping fixed broadband by 100 million.
More than a quarter of the world’s population is now online and using the Internet, according to ITU’s The World in 2009: ICT facts and figures.
“ICTs are vital within developing countries to ensure that ordinary people can fully participate in the knowledge economy of the 21st century,” said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré.
“We have seen a positive impact on services such as health and education in markets where ICT growth has been strong,” added Mr. Touré.
However, despite making major inroads towards extending ICTs in developing countries, including a number of countries launching the latest networks and services, the statistics in ITU’s publication highlight significant regional discrepancies with mobile penetration rates….
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