A United Nations report says that by the end of 2013, there will be more mobile-phone subscriptions than there are people in the world if the current growth rate for cell-phone use continues.
The report by the UN’s International Telecommunications Union found there are now 6.8 billion cell-phone subscriptions in the world.
The world’s population is now about 7.1 billion people.
The report says that in 2005 there were about 2.2 billion mobile-phone subscriptions for 6.5 billion people.
The study found that former Soviet Republics in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have the highest number of cellphones per person -- averaging 1.7 subscriptions per person.
But only 46 percent of the subscriptions there are for the active mobile broadband used for smartphones.
Including land-line and mobile Internet connections, the UN survey found that 40 percent of the world’s population is now online.
The report by the UN’s International Telecommunications Union found there are now 6.8 billion cell-phone subscriptions in the world.
The world’s population is now about 7.1 billion people.
The report says that in 2005 there were about 2.2 billion mobile-phone subscriptions for 6.5 billion people.
The study found that former Soviet Republics in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have the highest number of cellphones per person -- averaging 1.7 subscriptions per person.
But only 46 percent of the subscriptions there are for the active mobile broadband used for smartphones.
Including land-line and mobile Internet connections, the UN survey found that 40 percent of the world’s population is now online.