As per ‘ICT Facts and Figures 2017’, released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialised agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), India and China are home to 39% of the 830 million young people worldwide who use the Internet.
Highlights of ICT Facts and Figures 2017:Â
As per the report, there has been a significant increase in broadband access and subscriptions with China leading the way.
- Youths (15-24 years old) are at the forefront of Internet adoption. In Least Developed Countries (LDCs), up to 35% of individuals using the Internet are aged 15-24, compared with 13% in developed countries and 23% globally.
- ICT Facts and Figures 2017 shows that great strides are being made in expanding Internet access through the increased availability of broadband networks.
- International Internet bandwidth grew by 32% between 2015 and 2016, with Africa registering an increase of 72% during this period, the highest of all regions.
Mobile Broadband and Fixed-broadband subscriptions:
The report adds that mobile broadband subscriptions have grown more than 20% annually in the last five years and are expected to reach 4.3 billion globally by the end of 2017.
- Between 2012 and 2017, LDCs saw the highest growth-rate of mobile broadband subscriptions. Despite this, the number of mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in LDCs is the lowest globally at 23%.
- Mobile broadband prices, as a percentage of gross national income per capita, dropped by half between 2013 and 2016. Mobile broadband is more affordable than fixed broadband in most developing countries.
- The number of fixed-broadband subscriptions has increased by 9% annually in the last five years with up to 330 million subscriptions added.
- Most of the increase in high-speed fixed broadband subscriptions in developing countries can be attributed to China, which accounts for 80 per cent of all fixed-broadband subscriptions at 10 Mbit/s or above in the developing world.
Gender wise Internet Penetration:
- Internet user gender gap has narrowed in most regions since 2013.
- However, the proportion of men using the Internet remains slightly higher than the proportion of women using the Internet in two-thirds of countries worldwide.
- In 2017, the global Internet penetration rate for men stands at 50.9% compared to 44.9% for women.Â
Global Revenue from Telecommunication:
- Global telecommunication revenues declined by 4% from USD 2.0 trillion in 2014 to USD 1.9 trillion in 2015.
- Developing countries, which are home to 83% of the global population, generate 39% of the world’s telecommunication revenues.
About International Telecommunication Union (ITU):
- Formation Year: 1865
- Headquarters: Geneva Switzerland
- Current Secretary-General: Houlin Zhao
