GLOBAL ICT REPORT
Oct 8th, 2009 by admin
A United Nations report released this week draws attention to a “dramatic” broadband divide between developed and developing countries. The report on global information and communications technologies found that Africa has only one fixed broadband subscriber for every 1,000 people. By comparison, in Europe there are around 200 subscribers per 1,000 people. In addition, the relative price for ICT services, especially broadband, is highest in Africa, the region with the lowest income levels. While it is hoped that mobile broadband could help bridge the divide, there are still very few mobile broadband subscriptions in Africa. The report predicts that mobile subscriptions will reach 4.6 billion worldwide by the end of the year. Mobile phone penetration in developing countries is ten years behind that of Sweden, whereas developed countries are 2.3 years behind Sweden, the report found.