Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

Thursday, October 11, 2012

UK becomes one of the world’s top ten information and communication technology economies

The International Telecommunication Union - the United Nations’ agency for Information and Communication technologies - has published its latest figures showing how the uptake of ICT is growing around the world.

Its latest annual report ranks the Republic of Korea (South Korea) as the world’s most advanced ICT economy, followed by Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland. The UK is a new entry in the ICT top ten, moving up from last year’s 14th place to 9th place in 2012.

The fastest-growing ICT service is mobile broadband, which has seen 40% growth globally and 78% in developing countries. There are now twice as many mobile broadband subscriptions as fixed-broadband subscriptions worldwide.

When it comes to mobile technology overall, most growth is coming from developing countries. The ITU says mobile network subscriptions registered double-digit growth in developing countries, reaching a total of six billion mobile subscriptions worldwide by the  end of 2011. China and India currently account for around one billion mobile subscriptions each.

Costs are falling, with the price of ICT services dropping by 30% between 2008 and 2011. The biggest decrease was in in fixed-line broadband services, where average prices came down by 75%. However, the ITU says fixed-broadband services are still too expensive in most developing countries, with a basic fixed-broadband package costing over 40% of a person’s monthly gross national income on average rather than the 1.7% seen in developed economies.

Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, said “The past year has seen continued and almost universal growth in ICT uptake. The surge in numbers of mobile-broadband subscriptions in developing countries has brought the Internet to a multitude of new users. But despite the downward trend, prices remain relatively high in many low-income countries. For mobile broadband to replicate the mobile-cellular miracle and bring more people from developing countries online, 3G network coverage has to be extended and prices have to go down even further.”

Global revenues from telecommunication services reached $1.5 trillion (£935 billion) in 2010, which was 2.4 % of the world’s Gross Domestic Product.

[Report: Measuring the Information Society 2012]

Print
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Rate this article:
5.0

Leave a comment

This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data.
Add comment

Opinion Articles

How AI technology is transforming the smartphone experience

How AI technology is transforming the smartphone experience

From improved performance to personalized recommendations, AI is enhancing the functionality and usability of smartphones for users

By incorporating advanced algorithms and machine learning capabilities, AI can help to optimize a smartphone's performance, providing users with a faster, more efficient and user-friendly experience.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Whatever happened to all my tech?

Whatever happened to all my tech?

Mark Bridge revisits his mobile technology reviews

Mark Bridge writes:

I've been taking a look back at the devices I've written about during the past few years. Some are still faithful companions, others... well, let's just say my faith was misplaced.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Predictions for 2016: Network Function Virtualisation, 4G throttling and video calling

Mark Windle, head of marketing at OpenCloud, predicts that this year’s reduction in the number of traditional telecoms operators in some countries will provide an opportunity for other operators to innovate and capture market share in 2016.

He says next year will be a year of rapid change for telecoms… whether it’s MVNO disruption, competitive tariff pricing or simply defence from the ‘dark art’ of hacking.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Kapture review: the audio-recording wristband

Kapture review: the audio-recording wristband

A 'recording watch' that links to your smartphone

Mark Bridge writes:

The most memorable moments in life often go unrecorded. You don't have your camera in your hands. Your finger is still hovering over the 'pause' button on your audio recorder. Or you were simply too busy experiencing whatever was happening. It's all about the one that got away.

That's where Kapture can help.

Author: The Fonecast
4 Comments
Article rating: 4.0
Making mobile websites work better

Making mobile websites work better

Device detection and responsive design explained

Mark Bridge writes:

James Rosewell shows me a colourful roll of paper that's the width of an iPhone but well over three metres long. When I look closer, I can see it's a printed copy of the Wall Street Journal's mobile website. That's a lot of scrolling to do... and a pretty unfriendly user experience for anyone reading the news online. Why does it work so badly?

Author: The Fonecast
1 Comments
Article rating: 4.0
RSS
12345678910Last

Recent Podcasts

Podcast - 11th July 2007

The Toshiba Portege G900 smartphone is reviewed, we interview new Extreme Mobile MD John McFarnon, Ian White from Mobile News talks about customer service, we play with Flexis Extreme and we discuss the week’s industry news headlines.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 4th July 2007

10 things you need to know about the Apple iPhone, an exclusive interview with Unique Distribution's new CEO, industry news and gossip, Ian White's outspoken opinion and a review of the 'phoneAlarm' utility program.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 27th June 2007

What's happening at Truphone? We talk to the company’s CEO, James Tagg. Ian White tells us about "poaching", and the team review the latest news and views from around the industry, plus review the Sony Ericsson W910i and Spybot Search & Destroy.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 20th June 2007

The team are joined by Faisal Sheikh of Fone Doctors and Ian White of Mobile News to discuss T-Mobile's rumoured exit from the dealer channel, 3G for all, as well as the rest of the weeks news. They review the O2 Cocoon and debate "Is the mobile internet finally ready for consumers?", and Theme-DIY to customise Nokia series 60s.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 13th June 2007

The team review the HTC Touch an iPhone contender, debate the question "Are customers getting the mobile services they want?", bring you the latest news and find time to review "Kojak - Detective Puzzles".

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First96979899101103104105Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Twitter @TheFonecast RSS podcast feed
Find us on Facebook Subscribe free via iTunes

Archive Calendar

«March 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
26272829123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
1234567

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement