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

Review: CAT Active Urban rugged phone case for iPhone 5 and 5s

Natasha Cooper writes:

As someone who has been through more iPhone screens than I’d like to remember, when I recently upgraded to an iPhone 5s I was keen to keep it in one piece - for a few months at least. Cue the new CAT Active Urban Phone Case, which claims to protect your phones from falls of up to 1.8 meters using a reinforced material that can also be found in protective equipment for motor bike riders.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Ovum reveals 2014 will be a year of innovation, disruption, and consolidation in mobile payments

Analyst firm Ovum has published its mobile payment and mobile advertising predictions for this year.

Ovum expects continued technology and service innovation, notably around location-based applications, in the mobile payments space in 2014. However, there will be increasing complexity within the mobile payments ecosystem this year, and on-going challenges around the business model for digital wallet services.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Last week at The Fonecast: 13th January 2014

Arrivals, departures... and a little confusion

Mark Bridge writes:

Farewell for another year, dear old International CES. The Las Vegas-based consumer electronics show is but a fading memory as the mobile industry starts preparing for next month’s GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

However, what happened in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

The Apple iPhone first appeared seven years ago

Mark Bridge writes:

In a way, it’s hard to believe that the first Apple iPhone wasn’t seen in public until this day seven years ago. It - and the trend towards one-piece smartphones with hardly any buttons - seems to have been with us for much longer.

Author: The Fonecast
1 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Last week at The Fonecast: 23rd December 2013

Something for everyone this Christmas

Mark Bridge writes:

'Twas the week before Christmas, when all thro' the mobile industry
came a sudden burst of news-related activity.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First678911131415Last

Recent Podcasts

Reviewing our 2015 mobile industry predictions... and looking forward to 2016

Podcast - 15th January 2016

Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge return to review their mobile industry predictions from last year. Which mergers, partnerships and developments did they forecast correctly... and which didn’t work out as planned?

Later in the programme, the team anticipates some of the topics that will be hitting the headlines during 2016.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

Podcast - 6th March 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Looking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

Podcast - 27th February 2015

We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Interview with Chris Millington of Doro about mobile retailing, wearables and technology for older consumers

Podcast - 24th February 2015

In today's programme Mark Bridge talks to Chris Millington, who's Managing Director for Doro UK and Ireland.

They discuss the state of mobile retailing in the UK, the future of wearable devices and - as you might expect - smartphones for seniors.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

A month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

Podcast - 30th January 2015

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
123456789Last

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