Is the Mobile Phone a Basic Human Right? 4 billion Mobiles by 2010!
You
have the right to remain silent, but do you also have the right to talk
on a mobile phone? The
answer is yes, according to
iSuppli Corp., as mobile phones become increasingly ubiquitous, even
among low-income subscribers in developing regions of the globe.
Now the mobile phones are an enabling factor, not just for the economic growth of nations, but also for individuals’ ability to live and thrive in the developing world, says Dale Ford , vice president, market intelligence, for iSuppli. "So, the wireless handset market has moved from being a dollars-and-cents issue to becoming a basic human rights issue.” “The level of penetration globally for wireless communications is astounding,” Ford said. “Nothing comes close, except for electrical power.”
India had more than 6 million new mobile-phone subscriber additions in September, making it the fastest-growing wireless market in the world, according to Dr. Jagdish Rebello , director and principal analyst for iSuppli. iSuppli forecasts that India will have 405 million mobile-phone subscribers by 2010, up from 140 at the end of 2006. iSuppli predicts that by 2010, one out of every 10 mobile phones sold will be sold in India.
The major factor behind this growth is the advent of the ULCH and other low-cost phones.
The official definition of an ULCH is a phone with sub-$30 cost. Manufacturers have the capability to take costs below that now. There have been reports of phones with manufacturing costs less than $20, and last week Motorola was discussing a $15 product.
iSuppli predicts ULCHs will rise to account for more than 9% of total mobile-phone units produced in 2010, up from less than 1% in 2006.
