According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), mobile broadband has become the “fastest growing technology in human history”, and is quickly surpassing fixed broadband internet in terms of growth.
With Singapore, Japan and Finland leading the race for mobile broadband penetration, the USA sits back in a slightly disappointing 9th place. In its 2013 report “State of Broadband”, the ITU also stated that to keep up with the current growth in demand, mobile broadband spectrum efficiency will need to improve “by a factor of then”.
Along with its findings on broadband growth, the ITU went on to note that as yet, two thirds of the planet remains unconnected, and that universality could be the key to an effective broadband policy. It is worth noting also that internet users are predicted to reach 2.75 billion this year alone. Around the world, there are now more than 70 countries which boast internet connectivity by over 50% of their population.
The report went on to question whether private enterprises could really be relied upon to increase internet connectivity around the world, noting that remote users are often left without internet access due to higher costs to providers. Problems such as these are seen to stand in the way of making the internet accessible to the entire global population.
