Disqus
Well folks it’s been an interesting 26 years since the first cellular network was launched in Scandinavia. And today, we’re glad to report there’s 3.3 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide, equivalent to 50% of the global population. Of course, this doesn’t mean that half of the 6.6 billion people in the world now have a mobile phone — it just means that some people in developed countries use more than a single mobile phone.
According to Informa Telecoms & Media, as of the end of September, 59 countries had mobile penetration of over 100%, while almost half that figure, 27, had penetration under 10%. The economic difference between the more mature markets and those in developing countries is highlighted by the vast differences in operator Average Revenue per User (ARPU).
To highlight the difference, Informa is saying such carriers as Kuwaiti Zain, Hutchison Whampoa’s 3 UK, Qatar’s Q-Tel, Japanese KDDI, and Hutchison’s Austrian 3 network have ARPU of more than $65. In sharp contrast, Hutchison’s Sri Lankan operator, Bangladesh’s PBTL (CityCell), Ukrainian Astelit, and Pakistan’s CMPak have an APRU around 3 bucks.
Yap, mobile industry keeps developing. And we’re here to stay — to cover every step on the way. So, stay tuned… 
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
