The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) shows that the number of Internet users grew from 400 million to over 2 billion between 2000 and 2010. The organization's data also reveal a large growth of mobile telephone subscriptions from 1 billion to 5 billion over the last ten years.
For ITU, the first decade of this century is marked by the access to information and communication technologies (ICT) by most people in the world for the first time in history, an achievement facilitated by the introduction of competition and the creation of independent regulators. In 2010, there was competition in mobile and Internet services in 90 percent of the countries, with 157 regulators (106 in 2000). The Union also highlights the movement toward privatization of most incumbent operators of fixed telephony and growing investment in broadband.
Further information:
- Increased competition has helped bring ICT access to billions http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/stats/2011/01/index.aspx
