Global mobile subscriptions to reach 4.6bn

The agency'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 data revealed that mobile broadband subscriptions are expected to top 600 million in 2009, having overtaken fixed broadband subscribers in 2008.

ITU's statistics however, also underlined regional discrepancies, with mobile broadband penetration rates still low in many African countries and other developing nations.

More than a quarter of the world's population is online and using the Internet, as of 2009, it said. "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."

However, 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 highest in Africa, the region with the lowest income levels. The report finds that China has the world's largest fixed broadband market, overtaking its closest rival, the US, at the end of 2008," ITU said.

The UN agency's estimates showed that three-quarters of households now own a television set and over a quarter of people globally some 1.9 billion had 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," ITU said.

Dr Hamadoun Tour , 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."

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