Half the planet has a mobile (more research)

Another piece of research — showing good penetration in some of the developing countries.

Link: Half of world’s population has a mobile | NEWS.com.au

THE number of mobile phone users world soared to over 3.3 billion by the end of 2007, equivalent to a penetration rate of 49 per cent, according to a report by the International Telecommunications Union.

Africa showed the strongest gains over the past two years and more than two thirds of all mobile subscribers were from developing countries by the end of 2007, the ITU said.

This is “a positive trend that suggests that developing countries are catching up,” the report said.

Mobile subscription growth stood at 39 per cent annually in Africa between 2005-2007, and 28 per cent in Asia over the same period.