The release of this report comes after the successful conclusion of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where a Strategic Plan and Action Plan was adopted that will provide future direction and guidance to the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D), including its work on statistics.
Based on ITU data collections, the report gives an overview of the long-term telecommunication/ICT trends. Analysis shows an overall upward trend in the availability of communication services, driven by rapid growth in broadband, with a growing predominance of mobile over fixed services. Globally, the number of mobile-cellar subscriptions grew from 2005 to 2017 from 33.9 per 100 inhabitants to an estimated 103.5. In the least developed countries (LDCs), the growth has been more impressive, increasing from 5.0 in 2005 to an estimated 70.4 in 2017.
For the first time, this year's report features country profiles highlighting the ICT market structure and the latest developments in 192 economies worldwide. Each profile includes an overview of the policy and regulatory initiatives undertaken, as well as the current status of network roll-out and service uptake. These profiles are presented in Volume 2 of the Measuring Information Society Report. The profiles seek to highlight the achievements by each country and they will help in identifying good practices as well as future challenges specific to each country.
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