The level of penetration of mobile phones in developing countries has increased eight fold since 2000 and now stands at 48 mobile subscriptions for every 100 people. The finding is from the Information Economy Report, published today by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Africa has the quickest growth of mobile subscriptions in the world: the figure rose from 54 million in 2003 to almost 350 million in 2008 – an increase of 550 per cent – according to the report. The average penetration in the continent stands at over one third of the population. Gabon, the Seychelles and South Africa have almost 100 per cent penetration, while the only countries to still have this rate at less than 10 per cent are Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. – Panos, London.

Related posts:

1. Africa Tops Birth Rate
2. Population Rise Fuels Climate Change and Poverty
3. Boom Continues for Africa Telecom
4. Nigeria Attains 70m Active Phone Lines
5. Africa Fastest Growth of Cell Phones
6. Road Safety for Non-car Users Questioned in Africa
7. Nigeria, Now Africa’s Largest Mobile Telecom Market