Mobile Subscriptions Tops 6 Billion

There are nearly six billion cell phone subscriptions in the world. This statistic is shocking, considering there are seven billion people on earth.

A recent study surveyed mobile use across the globe, and not surprisingly, cell phone use continues growing at a speedy rate. These statistics are based on the number of Sim cards, not the number of phones or people with subscriptions.

A recent report by the International Telecommunication Union said that China accounted for one billion of the subscriptions, making up the majority. India is a close second, expected to reach one billion this year.

The top 30 countries with the most accessibility to mobile broadband services are high-income countries. Also, of all Internet users, 70 percent live in wealthy countries, compared to the 24 percent that live in developing countries.

The growth rate of mobile broadband has increased dramatically, especially over the past year. Mobile broadband has gone up 40 percent globally and 78 percent in developing countries.

These services are cheaper than fixed Internet, so more people all over the world can connect to the Internet. In mid-2010, there were 300.5 million mobile subscriptions in the United States. Now, there are 327.6 million subscriptions – a nine percent increase in two years.

There are more mobile subscriptions in the United States than there are people, which means that many people have multiple subscriptions. In 2000, there were less than one billion worldwide mobile subscriptions, and today there are over six billion.

The major reason for the increase in accessibility is that telecommunication and Internet services are becoming more affordable. There was a 30 percent drop in the cost of mobile and fixed telephone and fixed broadband services.

People are also increasingly using cell phones to develop new livelihoods and boost their way of living. According to Information and Communications for Development 2012, governments are using mobile phones “to improve service delivery and citizen feedback mechanisms.”

There are so many new innovations added to mobile phones that make daily life that much easier.

For example, the countless smartphone apps let you mange your money, navigate to anywhere on the globe, communicate in new ways, compare prices, and even provide entertainment. “Remember the Milk is a free to-do list app where the user can view tasks in several formats. It syncs to your online account so you can see your to-do list on your phone or computer. It saves my life!” said junior Selah Cosentino. “The ScoreCenter app provides an easy way to get notifications on scores for sporting events and any breaking news. You can view the latest news and look at the scores and standings whenever you want; it’s necessary for any sports fan who has a smartphone,” junior Matthew Camargo said.

Of the number of mobile subscriptions on earth, over one million of them are smartphone subscriptions. With nearly half of the mobile subscriptions in the U.S. being smartphones, they have now become the majority.

Numbers are expected to increase even more in 2013. It is predicted that 54 percent of mobile phones globally will be smartphones. These increasing numbers may seem outrageous, but with new additions to mobile phones every day, more people won’t be able to resist the advantages of not just smartphones, but any mobile phones.