Mobile subscriptions to reach 4.6 billion by the end of 2009, says ITU

Mobile growth is continuing unabated, with global mobile subscriptions expected to reach 4.6 billion by the end of 2009, and mobile broadband subscriptions to top 600 million, having overtaken fixed broadband subscribers in 2008, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Mobile technologies are making major inroads toward extending ICTs in developing countries, with a number of nations launching and commercially offering IMT2000/3G networks and services. However, mobile broadband penetration rates are still low in many African countries and other developing nations, ITU indicated.

More than a quarter of the world's population is online and using the Internet, as of 2009. Ever-increasing numbers are opting for high-speed Internet access, with fixed broadband subscriber numbers more than tripling from 150 million in 2004 to an estimated 500 million by the end of 2009, ITU said.

Rapid high-speed Internet growth in the developed world contrasts starkly with the state of play in the developing world. In Africa, for example, there is only one fixed broadband subscriber for every 1,000 inhabitants, compared with Europe where there are some 200 subscribers per 1,000 people. The relative price for ICT services (especially broadband) is the highest in Africa, the region with the lowest income levels. China has the world's largest fixed broadband market, overtaking its closest rival, the US, at the end of 2008.

ITU estimated that three quarters of households now own a television set and over a quarter of people globally – about 1.9 billion – now have access to a computer at home. This demonstrates the huge market potential in developing countries, where TV penetration is already high, for converged devices, as the mobile, television and Internet worlds collide. Hamadoun Toure, ITU secretary-general said, "ICTs are vital within developing countries to ensure that ordinary people can fully participate in the knowledge economy of the 21st century. We have seen a positive impact on services such as health and education in markets where ICT growth has been strong."