2009 ICT Facts and Figures

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has produced a very interesting report: "The World in 2009: ICT Facts and Figures."

Among its findings:

• Mobile cellular has been the most rapidly adopted technology in history. Today it is the most popular and widespread personal technology on the planet, with an estimated 4.6 billion subscriptions globally by the end of 2009
  
• Mobile broadband subscriptions overtook fixed broadband subscribers in 2008, highlighting the huge potential for the mobile Internet
  
• In 2009, more than a quarter of the world’s population are using the Internet, and over a quarter of the world’s population – or 1.9 billion people – have access to a computer at home
• Whereas three quarters of households globally have a TV, one third has a computer. With prices in continuous decline, and ongoing convergence of devices, the gap is likely to narrow quickly
• Over the past 5 years, the total number of fixed broadband subscribers has grown more than threefold, from about 150 million in 2004, to almost 500 million by the end of 2009
• In 2008, China overtook the US as the largest fixed broadband market in the world.
• The U.S. ranks 17th in the ITU's Global ICT Development Index in 2009