On 11 October 2012, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) released the annual report "Measuring the Information Society 2012", on the evolution of information and communication technology (ICT) markets around the world.
This year's report shows that, in the mobile communications sector, mobile phone take-up with subscription reported steady double-digit growth between 2010 and 2011 in developing country markets. According to the ITU, at the end of 2011, there were an additional 600 million subscribers. Globally, the ITU reports about 6 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions, i.e., 86 users per 100 of the planet's inhabitants.
Mobile broadband continues to be the ICT service with the highest rates of growth. Over the past year, mobile broadband services grew by 40 percent globally and by 78 percent in developing countries. Globally, there are twice the number of mobile broadband subscribers as fixed broadband subscribers.
Furthermore, between 2010 and 2011, the percentage of households with Internet access increased by 14 percent. At the end of 2011, out of 1.8 billion households worldwide, one-third or 600 million had Internet access, while China accounts for 23 percent of the world's Internet users. The ITU notes that the contribution of developing countries to the global number of Internet users rose from 44 percent in 2006 to 62 percent in 2011.
The 2012 edition of "Measuring the Information Society" includes two benchmarking tools to measure the Information Society: The ICT Development Index (IDI) and the ICT Price Basket (IPB). The IDI reports the level of ICT evolution in 155 world economies and compares the evolution and progress of recent years. The IPB is a measure that combines the prices of fixed telephone, mobile and fixed broadband services across 160 economies and compares these prices across countries and over time.
The report highlights the latest trends in the global market, paying particular attention to revenues and investment trends in the ICT sector, and presents a new approach to measuring the information society based on the capacity of telecommunications.
Further information:
- ITU releases latest global technology development figures - press release - 11.10.2012 http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2012/70.aspx
- ITU - Measuring the Information Society 2012 http://www.itu.int/pub/D-IND-ICTOI-2012
