July 20, 2009
Cellphones Tipped to Drive Growth in Poor Nations
The global ICT sector has witnessed an unprecedented expansion in the past decade driven by growth in the use of mobile phones, a World Bank report says. All Africa reports.
By the end of 2008, there were an estimated 4 billion mobile phones globally. No technology has ever spread faster around the world. Mobile phones now represent the world's largest distribution platform", it states.
The report titled Information and Communications for Development (IC4D) 2009: Extending Reach and Increasing Impact, takes a close look at mobile and broadband connectivity.
It analyses the development impact of high-speed Internet access in third world countries and provides policy options for rolling out broadband networks and addressing the opportunities and challenges of convergence between telecommunications, media, and computing.
Important marketAccording to the report, the mobile phone market is especially important for developing countries, where it is growing most rapidly and where it is seen as a "leapfrogging" tool.
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