The Growth Rate For Mobile Internet Subscribers Has Stalled Across the World (restofworld.org) 41
An anonymous reader shares a report: A recent survey from Global System for Mobile Communications Association Intelligence (GSMA), the research wing of a U.K.-based organization that represents mobile operators around the world, found that 4.6 billion people across the globe are now connected to mobile internet -- or roughly 57% of the world's population. Now, the rate of new mobile internet subscriber growth is slowing. From 2015 to 2021, the survey consistently found over 200 million coming online through mobile devices around the world each year. But in the last two years, that number has dropped to 160 million.
Rest of World analysis of that data found that a number of developing countries are plateauing in the number of mobile internet subscribers. That suggests that in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Mexico, the easiest populations to get online have already logged on, and getting the rest of the population on mobile internet will continue to be a challenge. GSMA collects data by surveying a nationally representative sample of people in each country, and then it correlates the results with similar studies.
[...] In countries including China, the U.S., and Singapore, a high share of the population is already connected to mobile internet -- 80%, 81%, and 93%, respectively. So it's no surprise that the rate of mobile internet subscriptions has slowed. But the rate of new users has also slowed in countries including Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Pakistan -- where only 37%, 34%, and 24% of the population currently use mobile internet.
Rest of World analysis of that data found that a number of developing countries are plateauing in the number of mobile internet subscribers. That suggests that in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Mexico, the easiest populations to get online have already logged on, and getting the rest of the population on mobile internet will continue to be a challenge. GSMA collects data by surveying a nationally representative sample of people in each country, and then it correlates the results with similar studies.
[...] In countries including China, the U.S., and Singapore, a high share of the population is already connected to mobile internet -- 80%, 81%, and 93%, respectively. So it's no surprise that the rate of mobile internet subscriptions has slowed. But the rate of new users has also slowed in countries including Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Pakistan -- where only 37%, 34%, and 24% of the population currently use mobile internet.
inflation (Score:2)
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When folks are having trouble affording basic necessities like food and shelter
Outside of war zones, people seldom have trouble finding food and shelter. Even the Neanderthals had food and shelter.
A cell phone is usually the first thing people buy once they're fed and warm.
The tapering is a consequence of the logistics function [wikipedia.org].
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Citation needed,
Re:inflation (Score:4, Interesting)
Hmm... It wasn't an assertation that I made, but it did raise my curiosity.
Now, first one needs to clarify "fed and warm" to something a bit better: Let's go "Food(including water) and shelter" - including clothing, obviously. This would also include standard utilities in the area - electricity to charge the phone, obviously, though one could get by with a solar charging system or community charging.
"Usually" doesn't require 100%. Over 50% is enough for "usually", I think. In addition, do we only count adults, is one "cell phone" per family enough, etc...?
Feeling around a bit:
Cell phones by country [worldpopul...review.com]
"Lines per 100 citizens" can indicate how many cellphones there are for people. Goes from 257 for Hong Kong (yes, this means each person has on average 2.6 cell phone lines) down to 11.6 for Cuba. North Korea 12.3, but even Ethiopia jumps up to 21.8, with Lebanon shooting up to 64.4. And those are the lowest 4 countries. For reference, the USA is at 103.1, but even our kids tend to have cell phones these days. Both Cuba and North Korea are "interesting" in that they are relatively isolated from the world economy due to sanctions, and are very low on economic freedom - they may not be given the choice to buy a cell phone.
You get up to 60+ phones per 100, that's easily enough to have 1 per household, especially in countries like Ethiopia having 4.1 births per woman and a household size of 4.6. 21.8 phones per 100 citizens is enough to have 1 phone per household.
Meanwhile, in the developing world where starvation is still a regular concern, I've read that cell phones/smart phones are absolutely common, replacing basically all land-based information transfer: IE POTS, fiber, cable, etc... Rather than having a computer, they use a phone. They use a phone for their banking, for sending messages, looking up information, etc...
In a fact-check sense, I think I'd go with "mostly correct" for a non-scientific observation.
Re: inflation (Score:1)
Outside of war zones, people seldom have trouble finding food and shelter.
So, Seattle is a war zone. There's lots of people with no food or shelter. But they all seem to have phones. (How else will they know that the local fent dealer is back with a fresh shipment?)
Even the Neanderthals had food and shelter.
Hunter-gatherers exploiting the local environment. But the Neanderthals didn't have to contend with the local grocery store closing because the loss due to pilferage got too high.
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Not "has food" but "has access to food".
I.e. it's available if they want it. There are plenty of food banks and aid services that will offer them food if they ask. But if they're typical drug zombies, they aren't interested.
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I have no doubt that the economy is a huge factor. But I think there might be more to it than that.
I have two Gen Z daughters who are in their early to mid twenties. What they and their friends are teaching me is that there is no demographic more in-tune with the perceived negative effects of social media and smart phone addiction than Gen Z.
As a Gen X'er, it shocks me how willing the younger demographic is to look for ways to abandon modern tech. I always assumed that it was our techie echo chambers on Sla
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Re: inflation (Score:2)
Blimey, did they finally take notice of the last three decades of Gen X's warnings about surveillance capitalism, spyware, malware, phishing, corrupt companies, corrupt government, corrupt law enforcement, etc , or did they they come up with it independently?
Infinite growth is not possible (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Infinite growth is not possible (Score:4, Funny)
"I don't care that we have every last human as a customer, I want 8% growth next quarter!"
Re: Infinite growth is not possible (Score:2)
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This is what capitalists actually believe!
Upsell new features.
Release OS upgrades that require more memory and CPU power, compelling hardware upgrades.
Turn your tech product into a fashion accessory that must be refreshed regularly to stay in style.
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Indeed. New features: Consider that Apple has been trying to get into streaming. Microsoft is pushing cloud services.
Personally, I think that we might be better off at this point if we spent a little less effort on competition and "innovation" than going back to the basics and fixing up our infrastructure.
Consider all the computers being sucked up for AI development, mostly wasted right now. What would it be like if we instead put that manpower, electricity, production to make and operate those data cen
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Random billionaire: "But muh high score! I need to have more monies than the other billionaires or they won't think I'm cool!"
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Wall Street: "I don't care if they make a steady profit every year and they're in a saturated market, I want them to risk destroying themselves trying to squeeze out 5% of growth!"
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We're just going to have to let more immigrants, and we won't even have time to check their backgrounds! What's that you say, they already have mobile internet? Then we'll have to let in space aliens too!
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It really is amazing how people seem to not understand how every resource is limited, including markets. This is why you get these MBAs trying to squeeze more out of a saturated market with things like olive oil coffee at Starbucks.
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It's even more amazing how people don't understand that the main feature that allowed homo sapiens to become unquestionable alpha predator on the planet is that instead of getting constrained by limitations of resources, we invent our ways to either increase resource access to higher level, or find alternative resources and ways of doing things.
How's that peak oil doing? What about peak food production and global starvation?
Re: Infinite growth is not possible (Score:2)
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When you're denying existence of universe as science understands it.
Can't sign up for a serive that doesn't exist (Score:2)
The majority of population in places where the service exists have already signed up. Growth now takes building out infrastructure in more rural and 2nd and 3rd world areas. That is always going to be slow. Anyone forecasting otherwise is just dumb.
Whats the Definition (Score:2)
Many people can use the Internet on their cellphones, but choose to use other methods for most of their internet activities.
(they may have to pay more for mobile data, and use their work or home wifi mostly. Also accessing some stuff on a bigger screen (desktop or tablet) is easier for those who have vision problems)
Re:Whats the Definition (Score:5, Informative)
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I loved being online, you sumbitches turned me off (Score:2)
[...] collects data [...]
And that for me is the reason why I'm heavily curtailing my internet activities, mobile or otherwise. I basically use it for the bare minimum required by my employer, get the news, patronize a few old-timey forums like Slashdot, or forums related to my few simple technical hobbies of yesteryear, and for email. For the rest, I get my kicks outside the house, as far away from the online dystopia as possible.
I'm probably only a few years away from disconnecting completely, and possibly going full Ted Kaczynski
Rural/Urban Divide (Score:3)
>>In countries including China, the U.S., and Singapore, a high share of the population is already connected to mobile internet -- 80%, 81%, and 93%, respectively. So it's no surprise that the rate of mobile internet subscriptions has slowed. But the rate of new users has also slowed in countries including Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Pakistan -- where only 37%, 34%, and 24% of the population currently use mobile internet.
What this tells me is that the reduction of new mobile accounts is not primarily about affordability or demand; it's about availability. The cities and towns are connected and the countryside is not, in both the developed and the developing world. Carriers earn less per tower the farther out from the population centers they go and eventually hit the point where it's not worth it to deploy any more infrastructure.
Re: Rural/Urban Divide (Score:2)
Carriers earn less per tower the farther out from the population centers they go and eventually hit the point where it's not worth it to deploy any more infrastructure.
True. So why did they switch off the older protocols that could reach 5 or 10 miles ftom a tower? Granted, the old stuff didn't support all the whiz-bang stuff that 5G does. So the choice was to upsell high profit services to a narrower slice of the market.
My old 3G phone could do "Internet". If only by emulating a modem connection at 56k on a voice channel. But it was good enough to do basic web stuff in an emergency. There is no such thing as basic web stuff anymore. Because most of the sites will bitch
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>> So why did they switch off the older protocols that could reach 5 or 10 miles ftom a tower?
To free up those frequencies for something else (6G coming soon) and to force people to upgrade their phones and service (and have an excuse to raise prices). Despite the fact that they use public airwaves, they are not acting in the public interest.
no value in it (Score:2)
What value does a mobile internet subscription have for consumers anymore? We're paying to be advertised to, and have our data sucked into ML processes that try to revenue optimize every second we spend looking at that little screen. I watch classic movies and some streaming series on my gigantic projector screen, with which I don't have to wear glasses just to make out subtitles. My phone only exists for 2FA and for talking to a select few people, usually via SMS. I don't need more than a few kb/s for that
Oh no (Score:2)
Oh no, so infinite growth really isn't possible after all??
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-Happy Click-Bait day, and tomorrow...