: Figure 2.1. Telecommunications subscribers worldwide ITU fixed line estimate 2002 Telecommunications subscribers August 2005: 1.8 billion mobile users-REF worldwide in billions www.ubercool.com/2005/08/25/mobile-phones Note that the fixed line ITU projection made in 2002 (dashed blue line) is an overestimate as mobile has substituted Mobile phone subscribers globally total nearly 1.5 billion by mid-2004, about one-quarter of the world's population Source: ITU 2004 (Reuters report) REF www.ciol.com/content/news/2004/104120906.asp Fixed: 1.0 billion in 2000 Fixed: hid-2004 Fixed line 1.185 billion Mobile 2000 01 02 03 04 05 Source: ITU WORLD Telecommunication Development Report, 2002; ITU World Telecommunication Indicators Database and IUT Projections. Broadband mobile communications, especially wireless broadband The rollout of broadband, in the range of over 100 kbps up to 2 Mbps, has accelerated over the past five years. Originally oversold in a technology "push", demand has at last arrived through customer need for faster Internet access. In the OECD community it has largely been sold via variations of DSL (digital subscriber line) technology and cable television (CATV). Other broadband technologies in use include satellite broadband for Internet access, fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and to the curb (FTTC), Ethernet LANs, and fixed wireless subscribers (at downstream speeds greater than 256 kbps). The latest development is in wireless broadband access for fixed usage, which is INFRASTRUCTURE TO 2030: TELECOM, LAND TRANSPORT, WATER AND ELECTRICITY - ISBN 92-64-02398-4 © OECD 2006 2. TELECOMS INFRASTRUCTURE TO 2030 developing into mobile and nomadic extensions with technology such as WiFi and WiMax. The following graph and table show OECD broadband penetration figures per 100 inhabitants and growth by country. Figure 2.2. OECD broadband penetration (per 100 inhabitants) net increase Q2 2004-Q2 2005, by country OECD net increase Source: OECD. Traditional wired broadband infrastructure is being driven by alternative w