Mobile Phone Use Soars in Africa, unevenly

Some interesting figures from a United Nations report on mobile phone growth in Africa, via Voice of America.

-- In the five years between 2003 and 2008, the number of subscriptions in Africa grew by more than 500 percent.

-- In Gabon, the Seychelles, and South Africa there are 100 mobile subscriptions for every 100 people.

-- In Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, the mobile industry has only penetrated 10 percent of the population.

-- The U.N. report says monthly Internet access in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic and Swaziland is more than $1,300, the highest in the world.

-- And only five countries - Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia - account for 90 percent of Africa's broadband subscriptions.

-- While Internet access in Africa remains largely elusive, according to the U.N. report wireless Internet is spreading fast in other developing regions. India registered almost 100-million new wireless subscriptions in the first half of 2009.

emily | 9:42 AM | Mobile phone projects - Third World, Random Stats |
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