Half the world use cellphones
2007-06-28 16:05
London - Global mobile phone use will top
3.25 billion equivalent to around half the world's population - in 2007 as cell phone demand booms in China, India and
Africa, a survey said on Wednesday.
From African farmers to Chinese factory workers, mobile
phone subscriptions will pass the 3 billion mark in July and
exceed 3.25 billion by the end of the year, according to a
report by UK-based telecoms analysis company The Mobile World.
The world's population is forecast to hit around 6.6 billion
in July, according to US figures.
Along with the internet, the mobile phone has revolutionised
communication. The mobile phone has spread from city whiz kids
to Brazilian slum dwellers.
Twenty years to connect 1 billion subscribers
More than 1 000 new customers are effectively signing up for
mobile phones every minute around the world, the survey showed.
"It took over 20 years to connect the first billion
subscribers, but only 40 months to connect the second billion,"
said The Mobile World Co-Founder John Tysoe.
"The three billion
milestone will be passed in July 2007, just two years on."
Analysts have forecast that 65% of all handsets made
this year will be sold in emerging markets as manufacturers,
such as Nokia of Finland and Motorola of the United States, push
out low-cost phones and mobile phone operators cut call charges.
The figures cited in the survey take account of multiple
mobile subscriptions by customers.
666 million mobile connections
Penetration in Europe has
topped 100% of the population, with 666 million mobile
connections.
"With handsets and services becoming ever more affordable,
the prospect of a fully connected mobile world is becoming ever
more real."
A record 240 million handsets were sold and 135 million new
customers signed up to mobile phone networks in the quarter to
the end of March, the report said.
In terms of connections, the last quarter was the third
strongest in the industry's history after the fourth quarters of
2004 and 2006, when 142 million and 163 million signed up
respectively.