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ITU predicts over 2 Billion Internet users by end of 2010
By siliconindia
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Wednesday, 20 October 2010, 08:47 IST
Bangalore: The population of Internet users worldwide doubled in the past five years and will exceed the two billion mark in 2010, revealed a study by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The number of people having access to the Internet at home has increased from 1.4 billion in 2009 to almost 1.6 billion in 2010.
According to ITU data, 162 million of the 226 million new Internet users in 2010 will be from developing countries, where Internet users grow at a higher rate. The study showed that by the end of 2010, 71 percent of the population in developed countries will have Internet access compared to 21 percent of the population in developing countries.
Because of rapidly increasing high-bandwidth content and applications on the Internet, there is a growing demand for higher-speed broadband connections. There has been an increase in the number of broadband subscriptions and by the end of the year, 8 percent of the globe will have access to high-speeed Internet connections. But broadband penetration levels in developing countries remain low - 4.4 subscriptions per 100 people compared to 24.6 percent in developed countries.
While high-speed Internet is still out of reach for many people in developing countries, mobile telephony is grasping the world, with access to mobile networks to over 90 percent of the global population.
Among the estimated 5.3 billion mobile subscriptions by the end of 2010, 3.8 billion will be in the developing countries, as per ITU data. On the other hand, in developed countries, growth in mobile subscriptions has slowed considerably during the past five years, with a year-on-year growth from 2009-2010 of only 1.6 percent.
"Mobile phone penetration in developing countries now stands at 68 percent - higher than any other technology before," said Sami Al Basheer, Director of ITU's telecommunication department bureau. 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, Basheer added.
The study also showed that over the past year, mobile broadband has experienced steep growth. Subscriptions to 3G services have increased from 72 million in 2005 to 940 million in 2010 with 143 countries offering 3G services commercially, up from 95 countries in 2007, ITU found.
