News Centre

According to a new report, in the past 18 months more than one billion new mobile connections are now a part of the overall global figure.

Wireless Intelligence, who published the report, says that this brings the worldwide tally to 5 billion, with some areas achieving a penetration exceeding 100 per cent, meaning that there are several one mobile phone connections for every person.

The global number of connections hit the four billion mark in December 2008, and analysts are predicting that the 6 billion will be surpassed midway through 2012.

Analyst Ben Wood said that the mobile is probably the most abundant consumer device in the world.

He commented "If you just take the UK in 1987, when the first mobile companies launched, an industry insider predicted a maximum of 10,000 phones.

"Now almost every adult, child and domestic pet seems to have one, given that 30 million phones are sold every year in the UK.”

These figures illustrate that at 5 billion, there are over three times the number of mobile phones as there are personal computers.

Mr Wood added: "This device has become part of the fabric of society, whether it’s a teenage girl taking a Blackberry to bed with her, or a farmer in an African village trying to find out the latest crop prices."

The figures reveal that since 1994, 10 billion have been bought by consumers, meaning there are potentially 5 billion mobiles that remain unused.

The statistics for mobile phones in Europe show that 130 per cent penetration has been achieved, partly due to the fact that people own more than a single phone. It is not unusual to have a separate phone for home and for work. However, the statistics do not indicate how many mobile phone owners in the United Kingdom have comprehensive mobile phone insurance .

Another factor implicated in the steep rise in mobile phone connections is the gradual adoption of devices like laptops that use a USB ‘dongle’ to connect to the internet, and it is predicted that this market will continue to expand.

Mr Wood also cited the political situation in Eastern Europe as affecting mobile phone use. He commented: "As the eastern bloc crumbled, mobile phone networks were deployed, and people skipped fixed line telephones altogether, in favour of mobiles.”