Two billion people use internet

The number of internet users worldwide will surpass the 2 billion mark in 2010 after having doubled in the past five years, according to the International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) latest statistics published on Tuesday.

The World in 2010: ICT facts and figures reveals that the number of people with access to the internet at home has increased from 1.4 billion in 2009 to almost 1.6 billion in 2010. The new data was released on the eve of the World Statistics Day, which was celebrated worldwide on Wednesday.

Up to 162 million of the 226 million new internet users in 2010 will be from developing countries, where internet usage has grown sharply. By the end of this year, 71 per cent of the population in developed countries will be online compared to 21 per cent of the population in developing countries.

In developed countries 65 per cent of people have access to the internet at home, only 13.5 per cent have access in developing nations, where internet access in schools, work and public locations is critical. Regional differences are significant: 65 per cent of Europeans are online, compared to only 9.6 per cent of Africans.

With the rapidly increasing high-bandwidth content and applications on the internet, there is a growing demand for faster broadband connections.

ITU considers broadband as a catalyst for growth. Recently, ITU and UNESCO launched the Broadband Commission for Digital Development that aims to promote the adoption of broadband-friendly practices and policies worldwide. ITU Secretary General Hamadoun Toure said: “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 per cent globally. But the penetration level in developing countries remains low: 4.4 per cent compared to 24.6 per cent in developed countries.

While high-speed internet is still out of reach for many people in low-income countries, mobile telephone is becoming ubiquitous, with access to mobile networks now available to over 90 per cent of the global population. ITU data indicate that out of the estimated 5.3 billion mobile subscriptions by the end of 2010, 3.8 billion will be in the developing world.

The director of the ITU Telecommunications Development Bureau, Sami Al Basheer, said: ” Mobile phone penetration in developing countries now stands at 68 per cent 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, the growth of mobile subscriptions has slowed considerably over the past five years, with year-on-year growth from 2009-2010 of only 1.6 per cent. In those countries, the mobile market is reaching saturation point with an average of 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 offer 3G services commercially, up from 95 countries in 2007. Over the past year, mobile broadband has experienced steep growth, especially in Europe and the US, and some countries have started to offer commercial services at even higher broadband speeds, moving to next generation wireless platforms.

Overall, the price of information, communication and technology services is falling, but high-speed internet access remains prohibitively expensive, especially in low-income developing countries. — VNS

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