Communication Networks Economy

Appendix 6Measuring the Information Society (11 October 2012) – ITU

ICT is more widely available and affordable:

• – there are 6 billion mobile cellular subscriptions and 2.3 billion people (one-third of the world’s population) are online;
• – ICT prices dropped by 30% between 2008 and 2011;
• – developing countries account for the lion’s share of ICT growth and show the strongest drops in prices;
• – Internet/ICT access is increasingly mobile and broadband;
• – There are almost twice as many mobile broadband as fixed broadband subscriptions;
• – Differences in ICT uptake, capacity and prices, between developed and developing countries (especially LCCs) persist;
• – There is a need to increase broadband infrastructure and reduce prices further;
• – ICT has an increasing impact on the economy;
• – There is a need to stimulate investment in ICT, in particular in advanced broadband network technologies (e.g., fiber, LTE), as these are long-term investments that foster economic growth.