Mobile phones to match globe's population in 2014: UN
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Indian girls engage with their mobile phones in New Delhi, India on Thursday, Feb 28, 2013. The number of mobile telephones worldwide is set to catch up to the globe's population next year, the United Nations' (UN) telecommunications agency said on Thursday. -- PHOTO: AP
GENEVA (AFP) - The number of mobile telephones worldwide is set to catch up to the globe's population next year, the United Nations' (UN) telecommunications agency said on Thursday.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said mobile subscriber numbers looked set to top seven billion in 2014.
"More than half of all mobile subscriptions are now in Asia, which remains the powerhouse of market growth," the ITU said.
By the end of 2013, overall mobile penetration rates will have reached 96 per cent globally, 128 percent in the developed world, and 89 per cent in developing countries, it added.
