Mobile phone use across the globe is on the rise, according to a newly released report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The ITU’s annual “Measuring the Information Society” report, released Monday, states that there are almost as many cellphone subscriptions as there are people.
The ITU is a U.N. agency that oversees international standards for satellite orbits, telecommunications and information and communications technologies (ICTs).
“According to ITU estimates, there will be 6.8 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions by the end of 2013 — almost as many as there are people on the planet,” says the report.
There are currently 7.2 billion people on Earth, but the report goes on to state that not everyone across the globe has a mobile phone.
“While the ubiquitous availability of mobile-telephone services is undeniable, with close to 100 per cent of the population covered by a mobile signal, not everyone has a mobile phone,” says the report.
“From a measurement point of view, the ongoing challenge thus remains to identify those who are still left without access to ICTs,” says the report.
The report also goes on to discuss the digital divide between developed and developing nations, the cost and affordability of broadband, digital natives and digital TV broadcasting trends.