UN agency expects number of Internet users to reach 2 billion this year

[News_Editor]

UN agency expects number of Internet users to reach 2 billion this year

2010-10-20 03:57:38 GMT+7 (ICT)

GENEVA (BNO NEWS) -- The number of Internet users worldwide doubled in the past five years and is expected to surpass the two billion mark later this year, according to the United Nations (UN) International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on Tuesday.

According to ITU's latest statistics, the number of people having access to the Internet at home has increased from 1.4 billion in 2009 to almost 1.6 billion this year. The data was published on the eve of World Statistics Day, which will be celebrated worldwide on Wednesday.

Furthermore, 162 million of the 226 million new Internet users so far this year are from developing countries, where Internet users grow at a higher rate.

By the end of year, ITU reported, 71 percent of the population in developed countries will be online compared to 21 percent of the population in developing countries. And while in developed countries 65 percent of people have access to the Internet at home, this is the case for only 13.5 percent of people in developing countries where Internet access in schools, at work and public locations is more common.

"Broadband is the next tipping point, the next truly transformational technology," said ITU Secretary-General General Hamadoun Touré. "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."

In the last 12 months, there has been strong growth in fixed broadband subscriptions, and by the end of the year, fixed broadband penetration is expected to reach 8 percent globally.

However, penetration levels in developing countries remain low: 4.4 subscriptions per 100 people compared to 24.6 in developed countries.

Cellular phones have reached further as access to mobile networks is now available to over 90 percent of the global population. ITU's new data indicate that among the estimated 5.3 billion mobile subscriptions by the end of 2010, 3.8 billion will be in the developing world.

"Mobile phone penetration in developing countries now stands at 68 percent - higher than any other technology before," said Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau, Sami Al Basheer. "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."

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 the next generation of wireless platforms. Subscriptions to IMT2000/3G services have increased from 72 million in 2005 to 940 million this year, and as many as 143 countries currently offer these services commercially, up from 95 countries in 2007.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-10-20

[astral]

Nice numbers to bandy around, but are the countries keeping up with their infrastructure to

support the growing numbers of users?

TV members seem to be reporting a decline in the service of most ISP's

suggesting that Thailand is not keeping up.

[bangkokcitylimits]