Number of mobile phones up from fewer than a billion in 2000 to six billion and rising, says World Bank report.

It has been stated by the World Bank report that mobile fones are set to exceed the world population soon.

Currently the number of people that have a mobile phone is exceeding 6 bilions. So this is a benefit to mobile manufactories. This seems to be a growing indust. However we are in a recesion. People still need to talk and get around. So the mobile and internet industry is currently not affected.

The world population is estimated to be at least seven billion.

Three-quarters of the world’s inhabitants have access to a mobile phone

The report says: “The mobile communications story is moving to a new level, which is not so much about the phone but how it is used.”

It adds: “Ownership of multiple subscriptions is becoming increasingly common, suggesting that their number will soon exceed that of the human population.”

It has been stated that according to a study, maximizing mobile, more than 30 billion mobile apps were downloaded in 2011.

The Goverment in developing countries are using mobile phones to increase and improve service delivery and citizens are using them to enhance their lifestyles.

“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.”

The new report analyses the growth and evolution of mobile telephony, and the rise of data-based services, including apps, delivered to handheld devices.

It 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.

“The mobile revolution is right at the start of its growth curve: mobile devices are becoming cheaper and more powerful while networks are doubling in bandwidth roughly every 18 months and expanding into rural areas,” said Tim Kelly, Lead ICT Policy Specialist at the World Bank and one of the authors of the report.

It also highlights how mobile innovation labs (mLabs) – shared spaces for training developers and incubating start-ups – can help bring new apps to market.

 InfoDev in collaboration with the Government of Finland and Nokia, has established five regional mLabs in Armenia, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa, and Vietnam.

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