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The International Telecommunication Union (ITU)’s latest statistics, published in The World in 2009: ICT Facts And Figures, reveal rapid ICT growth in many world regions in everything from mobile cellular subscriptions to fixed and mobile broadband, and from TV to computer penetration — with mobile technology acting as a key driver. The new comprehensive data forecasts and analysis on the global ICT market and shows that mobile growth is continuing unabated, with global mobile subscriptions expected to reach 4.6 billion by the end of the year, and mobile broadband subscriptions to top 600 million in 2009, having overtaken fixed broadband subscribers in 2008. 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.
ITU’s statistics also highlight important regional discrepancies, with mobile broadband penetration rates still low in many African countries and other developing nations. Within the UN system, ITU is the main source of internationally comparable data and statistics on ICT. The Market Information and Statistics Division of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) collects, harmonizes, and disseminates more than 100 telecommunication and ICT indicators from more than 200 economies worldwide.
Satnews Daily
October 7th, 2009
digiGO! — The Digital (R)Evolution™