Introduction

International Telecommunication Union

doi:http://handle.itu.int/11.1002/pub/802e7b6b-a1d3176a-en

2008 Asia Pacific Telecommunication/ICT Indicators 2008

Broadband in Asia Pacific: too much, too little?

image of Asia Pacific Telecommunication/ICT Indicators 2008

Prepared for ITU TELECOM ASIA 2008 (Bangkok, Thailand, 2-5 September 2008), this report is an indispensable reference book of telecommunication/ICT facts and figures for the region. The publication provides an overview of recent market trends, including in the area of fixed, mobile and Internet services. It focuses on broadband developments in the region, including in terms of policies, technologies, competition, access, pricing and applications. The report highlights government policies in the area of broadband that may serve as best practice examples but also looks at and analyzes the region's broadband digital divide and makes a number of conclusions and recommendations. The report includes some 20 regional tables covering key telecommunication/ICT indicators, over 40 individual country pages with a five year profile from 2002 to 2007, and a directory with names of telecommunication ministries, regulators and operators in the region.

English

http://handle.itu.int/11.1002/pub/802e7b6b-en

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Chapter

Introduction

Asia-Pacific is a world leader in telecommunications and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The number of fixed telephone lines in the region has increased by more than 70 per cent between 2000 and 2007 and today accounts for almost half of the world’s total. During the same time period, mobile telephony has grown by almost 30 per cent, reaching a total of 1.4 billion subscribers in 2007. This represents 42 per cent of the global market and is expected to surpass 50 per cent within the next two years. Much of this growth is due to China and India, which had over 600 and 280 million mobile cellular subscribers, respectively, by mid-2008, representing close to a quarter of the world’s total. Asia-Pacific also has the largest share of Internet users, with home to 42 per cent of the world’s total.