Feature

Every other person on the planet has a phone

According to the latest figures from mobile telecoms analysis firm The Mobile World, there are now nearly 3bn mobile users in the world. The number is set to rise to over 3.25bn by the end of 2007, giving a global penetration rate of over 50%.
The Mobile World was reported its Q1 07 survey of the industry. At the end of March 2007, there were 2.8bn phone connections worldwide, an increase of more than 135m on the month before – equivalent to more than 1,000 new customers every minute, making Q1 07 by far the best ever first quarter in the industry’s history.

Mobile penetration in Europe now exceeds 100%, with 666m connections.

John Tysoe of The Mobile World said the industry is being driven by huge demand especially in India, China and Africa. “It took over 20 years to connect the first billion subscribers, but only 40 months to connect the second billion. The 3bn milestone will be passed in July 2007, just two years on.”