2.7 billion users active on Internet, ICT now more affordable

ABOUT 2.7 billion people, almost 40 per cent of the world’s populations across the seven continents of Asia, Africa, North and South America, Europe, Australia and Antarctica are now on the Internet. Today, the world has about seven billion people, with two/third of the population now with mobile phones, according to World Bank statistics. Indeed, the ‘2013 ICT Facts and Figure’ released by the Geneva, Switzerland based International Telecommunications Union (ITU), informed that in 2013, there are almost as many mobile-cellular subscriptions as people in the world, with more than half in the Asia-Pacific region (3.5 billion out of 6.8 billion total subscriptions). According to the Director of ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, Brahima Sanou, “I am pleased to present the latest ICT Facts and Figures which show continued and almost universal growth in ICT uptake. Every day we are moving closer to having almost as many mobile- cellular subscriptions as people on earth. This is exciting news. “The mobile revolution is m-powering people in developing countries by delivering ICT applications in education, health, government, banking, environment and business.” The report stated that as global mobile-cellular penetration approaches 100 per cent and market saturation is reached; growth rates have fallen to their lowest levels in both developed and developing countries. It disclosed that mobile-cellular penetration rates stand at 96 per cent globally; 128 per cent in developed countries; and 89 per cent in developing countries. Despite moves in various countries to bridge the digital gap between men and women, the report said huge disparity still exists between men and women in access to the Internet. Specifically, the report said in developing countries, including Nigeria, 16 per cent fewer women than men use the Internet. The report stressed that more men than women use the Internet, with a global penetration of 37 per cent of all women are online, and compared with 41 per cent of all men, which corresponds to 1.3 billion women and 1.5 billion men. The 2013 ICT Facts and Figure pointed out that the developing world is home to about 826 million female Internet users and 980 million male Internet users. It added that the developed world is home to about 475 million female Internet users and 483 million male Internet users. The gender gap is more pronounced in the developing world, where 16 per cent fewer women than men use the Internet, compared with only two per cent fewer women than men in the developed world. In the household Internet penetration, the ITU statistics showed that 750 million households, about 41 per cent of the global penetration are connected to the Internet. The statistics revealed that households with Internet access in 2013 was 41 per cent, half of which are in the developing world, where household Internet penetration has reached 28 per cent. In the developed world, the report said 78 per cent of all households are connected to the Internet, stressing that 90 per cent of the 1.1 billion households not connected to the Internet are in the developing world. Europe and Africa are the regions with the highest and the lowest levels of household Internet penetration respectively at 77 per cent in Europe, compared with seven per cent in Africa. Between 2009 and 2013, the statistics said Internet penetration in households has grown fastest in Africa, with yearly growth of 27 per cent, followed by 15 per cent yearly growth in Asia and the Pacific, the Arab states and the CIS. In the area of active mobile broadband penetration, the 2013 ICT Facts and Figure said mobile-broadband subscriptions climbed from 268 million in 2007 to 2.1 billion in 2013, which reflects an average yearly growth rate of 40 per cent, making mobile broadband the most dynamic ICT market. In developing countries, the number of mobile-broadband subscriptions more than doubled from 2011 to 2013 (from 472 million to 1.16 billion) and surpassed those in developed countries in 2013. The report said Africa was the region with the highest growth rates over the past three years and mobile-broadband penetration has increased from two per cent in 2010 to 11 per cent in 2013. Today, Nigeria leads other African markets with a 114.4 million mobile subscription, an installed capacity of 226.6 million lines and an 81.8 per cent teledensity penetration. It inches to a 50 million Internet users’ mark. The statistics revealed that by early 2013, the price of an entry-level mobile-broadband plan represents between 1.2-2.2 per cent of monthly GNI p.c. in developed countries and between 11.3-24.7 per cent in developing countries, depending on the type of service. However, it informed that in developing countries, mobile-broadband services cost considerably less than fixed-broadband services at 18.8 per cent of monthly GNI p.c. for a 1 GB postpaid computer-based mobile-broadband plan compared to 30.1 per cent of monthly GNI p.c. for a postpaid fixed-broadband plan with 1 GB of data volume. Indeed, it stressed that among the four typical mobile-broadband plans offered in the market, post-paid handset-based services are the cheapest and prepaid computer-based services are the most expensive, across all regions. For the price of mobile broadband, the statistics revealed that by early 2013, the price of an entry-level mobile-broadband plan represents between 1.2-2.2 per cent of monthly GNI p.c. in developed countries and between 11.3-24.7 per cent in developing countries, depending on the type of service. However, in developing countries, mobile-broadband services cost considerably less than fixed-broadband services; 18.8 per cent of monthly GNI p.c. for a 1 GB postpaid computer-based mobile-broadband plan compared to 30.1 per cent of monthly GNI p.c. for a postpaid fixed-broadband plan with 1 GB of data volume.