Google – AFP, 8 October 2013
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Two Chinese
men use their laptop computers at a cafe in Beijing on
November 2, 2012
(AFP/File, Wang Zhao)
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Geneva —
Around 2.7 billion people -- 40 percent of the world's population -- will be
connected to the Internet by the end of 2013, the United Nations said Monday.
Another 250
million people came online in 2012, but 4.4 billion people remain unconnected,
said the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Ninety
percent of those not online live in developing countries.
The ITU
also said there would be 6.8 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions -? almost as
many as there are people on the planet -- by the end of the year.
South Korea
leads the world in information and communication technology (ICT) development
for the third consecutive year, followed closely by Sweden, Iceland, Denmark,
Finland and Norway, the ITU said in its annual report.
The
Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg and Hong Kong (China) also rank
high, while Britain nudged into the top 10 from 11th position last year, the
report said.
The ITU?s annual
ICT Development Index ranks 157 countries according to their level of ICT
access, use and skills.
The report
also noted that "mobile broadband is now more affordable than fixed
broadband".
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The
half-connected world (AFP Graphics, al/js)
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