There Are Now Roughly 6 Billion Cell Phone Subscribers in the World

The world now has nearly as many cell phone subscriptions as inhabitants.

The U.N. telecom agency says there were about 6 billion subscriptions by the end of 2011 – roughly one for 86 of every 100 people.

In a report Thursday, the International Telecommunication Union said China alone accounted for 1 billion subscriptions, and India is expected to hit the 1-billion mark this year.

The Geneva-based agency says 2.3 billion people – or about one in three of the world’s 7 billion inhabitants – were Internet users by the end of 2011, but there’s a strong disparity between rich and developing countries.

ITU says 70 percent of people who use the Internet live in wealthier, industrialized countries, compared with 24 percent who live in poorer, developing nations.

Prateek Panda

Prateek is the Founder of TheTechPanda. He's passionate about technology startups and entrepreneurship and enjoys speaking to new founders every day. Prateek has also been consistently regarded as one of the top marketing experts in the region.

Recent Posts

Geek Appeal: New gadgets & apps on the block

The Tech Panda takes a look at recently launched gadgets & apps in the market.…

3 hours ago

Funding alert: Tech startups that raked in moolah this month

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent funding events in the tech ecosystem, seeking…

5 hours ago

AI Launches: Fintech, SaaS, customer service, EdTech, hospitality, cleantech, consulting, graphics & skilling

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent launches in the superfast field of Artificial…

1 day ago

India’s Nari Shakti moment: Women’s workforce participation doubles as industry backs return-to-work initiatives

India is witnessing a historic surge in women’s participation in the workforce. According to Ministry…

1 day ago

Once more with feeling: An ambitious bid to build a digital Disneyland for fans

This entrepreneur, who entered the startup ecosystem when he was only thirteen years old, wants…

1 week ago