The International Telecommunication Union estimates that by the end of last year there were 4.1 billion cell phone subscriptions globally, representing 6 out of every 10 people on the planet. According to the Globe and Mail "The Geneva-based agency recorded the sharpest rise in mobile broadband subscriptions. The technology, which allows users to access the web at high speed with mobile devices, was available to 3 per cent of people worldwide, increasing to 14 per cent in developed countries." What affect will the global economic downturn have? “In terms of consumer demand and uptake, there will probably be a little bit of slowdown in the growth, but we are not expecting any decline,” she said. “People who have a mobile phone are unlikely to give up on it.” said Susan Teltscher, the ITU's statistics lead.
