Worldwide cellphone use hits 60 percent, developing nations largely to thank

by Darren Murph posted Mar 3rd 2009 at 1:31AM

Outfits like Nokia have been just rolling in profits from selling oodles of low margin handsets in developing nations across the globe, so it's no shock at all to hear that those very countries have propelled the worldwide usage tally well above the 50 percent mark. According to a wide-ranging United Nations report, around six in ten people across the globe now use mobile phones, and as expected, fixed line subscriptions have increased at a much slower pace. If you're wondering just how significant this figure really is, chew on this: in 2002, just under 15 percent of the global population used a cellie. Impressive, eh?

[Via TG Daily]

Filed under: Culture, Studies, Misc

Tags: accounts, cellphone users, cellphones, CellphoneUsers, culture, milestone, people, phone lines, PhoneLines, subscriptions, world, world record, WorldRecord, worldwide

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

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Cyn @ Mar 3rd 2009 1:48AM

I work for a cell phone company in a retail store. It always amazes me how busy we are on a daily basis. Without working there i would have never suspected how busy a wireless retail environment could be. Crazy.

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CRanga @ Mar 3rd 2009 3:16AM

Quick rough math.
1999 - approx 900 million users
2009 - approx 4 billion users

Holy shit!!!!

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CRanga @ Mar 3rd 2009 3:18AM

Screwed up.

2002 - approx 900 million
2009 - approx 4 billion

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apollo67 @ Mar 3rd 2009 2:00PM

i will admit that i am a nokia diehard, but many consumers do not realize that through hype and product launches, certain companies truly have an impact on the globe. Nokia, as a i found through research, has a significant margin share of the industry. They are not covered often which is understandable. Nokia actually has the largest brand awareness of any company in the world, Coca-Cola is next in line... Nokia's presence in the US however is this, phones are like bricks. it all stems from the earlier nokias which everyone had. What has happened is that certain efficient strategies have to develop for competing companies. apple will sell phones, but is that a gauge of the smartphone industry. stats proved that cellphone purchases declined and then apple has the iphone launch...sales surge relative to the industry. means nothing, oh windows mobile is a dissappointment. yeah but when it comes out, it wil be standard for 8 years. chew on this, this topic will not be hit on as much as a new product leak. though it is the most important. I live in Chicago, IL. I buy high-end Nokia, i wont lie. The reason i fork over the unlocked , unsubsidized price is this. There was a time that a cell phone had longer range than our cordless phones. Now, it never leaves our side. information will always be the most valuable commodity and the medium in which you receive it shall have value as well. i believe that we need more focus put on buying a phone becasue it is an extension of your ability to communicate. accepting cheaply made plastic phones and toy apped phones ruins the industry. what i have learned from having a foreign product is that europeans appreciate time and effort, efficiency and "getting it done right". i apologize for how ignorant my country has been. im am sorry for my rant, but here goes, our duty in this world should not be to buy what is supplied but to truly hit the producers and say, "this is what i want and this is why i hate what you release", R and D should not be on data mining, it should not say "hey how do we get them to buy our product" I feel that these youth oriented companies should try and sell it, ask me why i feel the way i do, and let me be. They can then constructively voice the opinion of a potential consumer. Learn your market. Apple you are a disappointment, Motorola, you as well. innovative, yes, but sustainable, no. apple will be blown out of the water just as they were in the early 90's, not to mention making the wise decision to not use modems, because "you would replace it with a chip". way to go, 15 year mistake. iMpress me. Build quality and speed.

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