Two-thirds of the human race have a mobile phone subscription
By the end of 2010, another 400 million mobile phone subscriptions will have been signed up, according to a new report from the International Telecommunications Union, taking the global total to over 5 billion.
by Helen Leggatt
Two-thirds (67%) of human beings have a mobile phone subscription - that's a pretty impressive figure. In comparison, the Internet is accessed by around 1.7 billion, or 26% of the world's population.
Naturally, mobile phone subscription penetration rates vary among developing and developed countries. In developing countries the penetration rate reached 57%, more than double its 2005 level of 23%, while in developed countries it averages more than 100% or more than one subscription per person.
As mobile phone subscriptions have risen, fixed-line phone subscriptions have fallen because, says the report, "mobile is now on average cheaper". It's possible many people with more than one mobile phone subscription have swapped their traditional home land-lines with mobile connections.
"Even during an economic crisis, we have seen no drop in the demand for communications services," said ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré, "and I am confident that we will continue to see a rapid uptake in mobile cellular services in particular in 2010, with many more people using their phones
