WASHINGTON, July 17, 2012 – Around three-quarters of the world\’s
inhabitants now have access to a mobile phone and the mobile
communications story is moving to a new level, which is not so much
about the phone but how it is used, says a new report released today
by the World Bank and infoDev, its technology entrepreneurship and
innovation program. The number of mobile subscriptions in use
worldwide, both pre-paid and post-paid, has grown from fewer than 1
billion in 2000 to over 6 billion now, of which nearly 5 billion in
developing countries. Ownership of multiple subscriptions is becoming
increasingly common, suggesting that their number will soon exceed
that of the human population.
According to Information and Communications for Development 2012:
Maximizing Mobile, more than 30 billion mobile applications, or
\”apps,\” were downloaded in 2011 – software that extends the
capabilities of phones, for instance to become mobile wallets,
navigational aids or price comparison tools. In developing countries,
citizens are increasingly using mobile phones to create new
livelihoods and enhance their lifestyles, while governments are using
them to improve service delivery and citizen feedback mechanisms.
\”Mobile communications offer major opportunities to advance human and
economic development – from providing basic access to health
information to making cash payments, spurring job creation, and
stimulating citizen involvement in democratic processes,\” said World
Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development Rachel Kyte. \”The
challenge now is to enable people, businesses, and governments in
developing countries to develop their own locally-relevant mobile
applications so they can take full advantage of these opportunities.\”
This new report, the third in the World Bank\’s series on Information
and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Development, analyzes the
growth and evolution of mobile telephony, and the rise of databased
services, including apps, delivered to handheld devices. The report
explores the consequences for development of the emerging \”app
economy\”, especially in agriculture, health, financial services and
government, and how it is changing approaches to entrepreneurship and
employment.