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(Feb. 23) -- Even as the global economy tanked, cell phone and Internet usage continued to skyrocket last year, according to a report by the International Telecommunication Union.
In developing countries, cell phone usage reached an estimated 57 percent of the population by the end of 2009, the first year that number has passed the 50 percent mark. It still pales in comparison to developed countries, where the average cell phone usage is more than 100 percent. Still, the increase is significant, with the number more than doubling since 2005.
The report scores 159 countries based on the extent of their information and communications technology development. All the countries improved their scores over last year, with Sweden, Luxembourg, South Korea, Denmark, the Netherlands, Iceland, Switzerland, Japan, Norway and the United Kingdom topping the list. The United States ranked 19th.
The report also found that the price of telecommunications is falling globally, which Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau, called "a most encouraging development."
In 2009, the ITU estimates that 1.7 billion people were using the Internet. In the developing world, one-third of all Internet users were in China, which also boasted some of the lowest service charges. The statistic is particularly striking because the Chinese government puts strict censors on the Internet, banning access to sites such as Twitter and Facebook behind what is known as the "Great Firewall of China."
In the rest of the developing world, Internet penetration was fairly low, reaching only 14 percent when China was excluded. Contributing to this was the low level of fixed broadband access, even though the report found that fixed broadband services had a 42 percent price drop last year.
Cell Phone and Internet Usage Grew Despite Economy
Feb 23, 2010 – 6:27 PM
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