Over two-thirds of the world’s population have a mobile phone subscription, according to a recent report by the ITU.
Mobile subscriptions drive wireless broadband growth,
with mobile broadband growing faster than fixed broadband lines and second only to mobile phone growth itself.
Meanwhile in the US, broadband penetration grew to 95.1% among active Internet users
in January 2010.
Two-Thirds of World are Mobile Subscribers
There were an estimated 4.6 billion mobile cellular
subscriptions by the end of 2009, corresponding to 67 subscribers per 100 inhabitants
globally. By the end of 2009, mobile cellular penetration
in developing countries passed the 50 per cent
mark reaching an estimated 57 per 100 inhabitants, more than doubling since 2005 when it stood at 23 per cent.
Developed countries have a mobile penetration rate that
exceeds 100 per cent. Mobile subscriptions drive mobile technology use, with mobile broadband
subscriptions up to 9.5% of the world’s inhabitants at the end of 2009. Mobile broadband growth eclipsed fixed broadband growth
in 2009, and was second only to mobile phone subscriptions.
Home Connectivity in the US
US broadband penetration grew to 95.11% among active Internet users in January 2010. Dial-up users connecting at
56Kbps or less now make up 4.89% of active Internet users (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Web Connection Speed Trends – Home Users (US)
Source: Nielsen
Broadband Growth Trends in the US
In January 2010, broadband penetration among active Internet users in US homes grew to 95.11%, up 0.56
percentage points fron 94.55% in December (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. Broadband Adoption Growth Trend – Home Users (US)
Extrapolated from Nielsen data
Work Connectivity
As of January 2010, 98.49% of US workers connected to the Internet with broadband, down 0.14 percentage points
from 98.63% in December 2009. Only 1.51% still connect at 56Kbps or less from work (see Figure 3).
Figure 3: Web Connection Speed Trends – Work Users (US)
Source: Nielsen
Further Reading
- FCC Plans for 100M Bps to 100 Million Households
- The FCC’s National Broadband Plan
- aims to bring 100M bps (bits per second) Internet service to 100 million homes by
2020. PC World, Feb. 16, 2010. - New ITU report shows global uptake of ICTs increasing, prices falling
- By the end of 2009 there were 4.6 billion mobile subscriptions globally, corresponding to a penetration rate of 67 percent, the ITU’s annual report on developments in the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector showed.
Mobile broadband is growing faster than fixed broadband subscribers, second only to cell phone growth. 9.5 percent of global inhabitants were on mobile broadband connections. Intenational Telecommunication Union, Feb. 23, 2010. - Next Generation Connectivity
- An exhastive study of the spread of broadband throughout the world by The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at
Harvard University. Using existing literature and studies about broadband deployment and usage
throughout the world and this project helped inform the FCC’s efforts in developing the National Broadband Plan. Harvard University, Feb. 16, 2010. - Think big with a gig: Our experimental fiber network
- Google is building a 1GB/s ultra high-speed broadband network. Feb. 10, 2010, Google. See also Vancouver Sun article on Google’s High-Speed Broadband Network.
- Nielsen
- Provided the US broadband penetration data for active
Internet users for the Bandwidth Report.