Science & Technology

3.9 BILLION PEOPLE ARE USING THE INTERNET

ITU, the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, estimates that at the end of 2018, 51.2 percent of the global population, or 3.9 billion people, were using the internet 3.9 BILLION PEOPLE ARE USING THE INTERNET
technologies,” said Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau. “Access to telecommunication networks continues to increase, in particular in mobile connections. However, affordability should continue to be at the top of our priorities for the digital economy to become a reality for all.”
According to ITU, slow and steady growth in developed countries increased the percentage of the populations using
the internet in those countries from 51.3 percent in 2005 to 80.9 percent in 2018.
In developing countries, growth has been much more sustained increasing from 7.7 percent in 2005 to 45.3 percent
in 2018. The strongest growth was reported in Africa, where the percentage of people using the internet increased
from 2.1 percent in 2005 to 24.4 percent in 2018. The regions with the lowest growth rates were Europe, with 79.6 percent, and the Americas, with 69.6 percent. In the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, 71.3 percent are using the internet; 54.7 percent in the Arab States and 47 percent in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mobile cellular subscriptions While fixed-telephone subscriptions
The new ITU report titled “Measuring the Information Society” was released at the 18th World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS-18) held from 10 to 12 December 2018 at ITU headquarters
in Geneva, Switzerland. The symposium was attended by experts from the global statistical community, ICT analysts and ICT regulatory agencies, policy-makers, C-level executives from the private sector, and senior officials from UN agencies.
Continue to decline with a penetration rate of 12.4 percent in 2018, the number of mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions is greater than the global population.

Growth in mobile cellular subscriptions in the last five years was driven by countries in Asia-Pacific and Africa.

Growth was minor in the Americas and the CIS region while a decline was observed in Europe and the Arab States.

Fixed and mobile broadband subscriptions Broadband access continues to demonstrate sustained growth.
Fixed-broadband subscriptions are continuously increasing. Continuing the trend reported in 2017, there were
more fixed-broadband connections, 1.1 billion in 2018, than fixed-telephone connections (942 million).

The growth in active mobile-broadband subscriptions has been much stronger, with penetration rates increasing from 4.0 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2007 to 69.3 in 2018. The number of active mobile-broadband subscriptions has increased from 268 million in 2007 to 5.3 billion in 2018. Developing countries are registering much faster growth in mobile broadband “ITU’s global and regional estimates fo2018 are a pointer to the great strides the world is making towards building a more inclusive global information society,” said Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary General. “By the end of 2018, we will surpass the 50/50 milestone for internet use. This represents an important step towards a more inclusive global information society. However, far too many people around the world are still waiting to reap the benefits of the subscriptions compared to developed countries.

In developing countries, penetration rates have reached 61 per 100 inhabitants in 2018, with much more scope for further growth in coming years. In LDCs, penetration rates went up from virtually zero in 2007 to 28.4 subscriptions per 100 in 2018.

The strongest growth in mobile broadband subscriptions has been observed in Asia- Pacific, the Arab States and Africa.

Mobile network coverage Nearly the entire world population, or 96 percent, now lives within reach of a mobile cellular network. Furthermore, 90 percent of the global population can access the internet through a 3G or higher speed network.

Households with a computer ITU estimates that, globally in 2018, almost half of all households had at least one computer, up from just above a quarter in 2005. In developed countries, 83.2 percent of households possess a computer compared with 36.3 percent in developing countries. LDCs show the strongest growth during the period 2005-2018. In 2018, less than 10 percent of households in LDCs had a computer. The strongest growth rates were observed in the Arab States and the CIS region. In Africa, the proportion of households with access to a computer
increased from 3.6 percent in 2005 to 9.2 percent in 2018.

Household with internet access Internet access at home is gaining traction. ITU estimates that almost 60 percent of households have internet access at home, up from less than 20 percent in 2005. In developing countries, almost half of all households have internet access at home, a considerable increase compared with 8.4 percent in 2005.  Regional developments broadly follow the trends observed for households with computers. digital economy.

We must encourage more investment from the public and private sectors and create a good environment to attract investments, and support technology and business innovation so that the digital revolution leaves no one offline.”
“The new 2018 estimates reveal that there continues to be a general upward trend in the access to and use of information and communication

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