Published on the 26/10/2010 | Written by Newsdesk

A report out today reveals 90% of the world’s population now has access to mobile networks but growth is slowing…

The International Telecommunication Union in its “The World in 2010” report says mobile is reaching saturation point and mobile growth is slowing worldwide.

There are 5.3 billion mobile subscriptions globally.

The Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, Sami Al Basheer said: “Mobile phone penetration in developing countries now stands at 68% — higher than any other technology before. These countries have been innovative in adapting mobile technology to their particular needs and will be able to draw even greater benefits from broadband once adequate and affordable access is available.

In developed countries, growth in mobile subscriptions has slowed considerably during the past five years, with a year-on-year growth from 2009-2010 of only 1.6%. In those countries, the mobile market is reaching saturation levels with on average 116 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.

At the same time, subscriptions to 3G services have increased from 72 million in 2005 to 940 million in 2010. As many as 143 countries are offering 3G services commercially, up from 95 countries in 2007.

Over the past year, mobile broadband has experienced steep growth, especially in Europe and the United States, and some countries have started to offer commercial services at even higher broadband speeds, moving to next generation wireless platforms.

The trend from voice to (mobile) data applications is reflected in the growing number of SMS, or text messages sent, which tripled over the past three years to reach a staggering 6.1 trillion in 2010. In other words, close to 200 000 text messages are sent every second.

In the Asia Pacific region, cellular penetration rates will grow to 68% by the end of the year, notably in India and China, which will have an estimated 300 million mobile subscriptions.

Those in developing countries who can’t afford or access computers or fixed line broadband are especially flocking to mobile. In such low-income countries, mobile telephony is becoming ubiquitous, with access to mobile networks now available to over 90% of the world’s population.

Two billion online
The report says that the number of internet users worldwide doubled in the past five years and will surpass the two billion mark in 2010. The number of people having access to the internet at home has increased from 1.4 billion in 2009 to almost 1.6 billion in 2010.

162 million of the 226 million new internet users in 2010 will be from developing countries, where internet users are growing at a higher rate. By the end of this year, 71% of the population in developed countries will be online compared to 21% of the population in developing countries.

While in developed countries 65% of people have access to the internet at home, this is the case for only 13.5% of people in developing countries where internet access in schools, at work and public locations is critical. Regional differences are significant: 65% of Europeans are on the internet, compared to only 9.6% of Africans.

Need for speed
With the rapidly increasing high-bandwidth content and applications on the Internet, there is a growing demand for higher-speed broadband connections.

ITU considers broadband as a catalyst for growth.

ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré says: “Broadband is the next tipping point, the next truly transformational technology.

“It can generate jobs, drive growth and productivity, and underpin long-term economic competitiveness. It is also the most powerful tool that we have at our disposal in our race to meet the Millennium Development Goals, the deadline for which is now just five years away.”

Over the past year, there has been strong growth in fixed broadband subscriptions. By the end of 2010, fixed broadband penetration will reach 8% globally. But penetration levels in developing countries remain low: 4.4 subscriptions per 100 people compared to 24.6 in developed countries.

ICT price drops
Overall, the price of ICT services is falling, but high-speed Internet access remains prohibitively expensive, especially in low-income developing countries.