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… 😉