Thursday, 28 June 2007

Half the World Will Own Mobile Phones By Year End

According to a newly released report by the UK based telecoms analysis company The mobile World, the global mobile phone subscriptions will pass the 3 billion mark in July and exceed 3.25 billion by the end of the year.

And according to US figures, the world's population is forecast to hit around 6.6 billion in July.

Along with the Internet, the mobile phone has revolutionised communication. The mobile phone has spread from top guys in the city to slum dwellers in India and across the world.

The survey said more than 1,000 new customers are effectively signing up for mobile phones every minute around the world.

"It took over 20 years to connect the first billion subscribers, but only 40 months to connect the second billion," The Mobile World co-founder John Tysoe said. "The three billion milestone will be passed in July 2007, just two years on."

Analysts have forecast that 65 per cent of all handsets made this year will be sold in emerging markets as manufacturers, such as Nokia and Motorola, push out low-cost phones and mobile phone operators cut call charges.

The figures cited in the survey take account of multiple mobile subscriptions by customers. Penetration in Europe has topped 100 per cent of the population, with 666 million mobile connections.

"With handsets and services becoming ever more affordable, the prospect of a fully connected mobile world is becoming ever more real," Tysoe said.

A record 240 million handsets were sold and 135 million new customers signed up to mobile phone networks in the quarter to the end of March, the report said.