Nearly 75% of the world population has access to a cell phone
Nearly three-quarters of the world's population have access to a mobile phone and the number of subscriptions on the globe should "soon" exceed that of the world, said World Bank (WB) in a report released last Tuesday.
"Worldwide, the number of subscriptions to mobile telephony - on or prepaid package - is (past) of less than $ 1 billion in 2000 to over 6 billion today, almost 5 billion in developing countries "said the WB.
"Having multiple subscriptions is becoming more common, suggesting that their number will soon exceed that of the human population," said the Bank providing that the mobile phone now filling new positions in developing countries.
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The Bank notes that some 30 billion mobile applications downloaded in 2011 to transform phones into "mobile wallets" in replacing the traditional means of payment.
Some developing countries use their mobiles next to "improve" the services provided by government, the Bank says in the report.
The Washington-based institution cites the expemple an application called JobMatch and launched in the Palestinian territories which facilitates the search for jobs.
"The mobile phone offers great opportunities (...) by providing access to basic health information, allowing cash settlement, promoting job creation and stimulating the participation of citizens in the democratic process" , assures Rachel Kyte, Vice President of the World Bank Sustainable Development, cited in the statement.
The report also estimates that the mobile phone revolution is not that "in its infancy" and that it should still be spread through the falling prices of mobile phones and advanced network bandwidth around the world.
