Fibre broadband
The proportion of fibre broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in developed countries is twice as high as in developing countries, and 10 times higher than in LDCs. The share of fibre in total fixed-broadband subscriptions is highest in the CIS and Asia and the Pacific.
Telecom revenue
Global telecommunication revenues declined 4 percent between 2014 and 2015 to $1.9 trillion.
Developing countries saw a compound annual growth rate in telecommunication revenue of 6.6 percent in the period 2007-2015.
Developing countries are home to 83 percent of the global population but generate only 39 percent of the world’s telecommunication revenues.
Mobile broadband
Mobile broadband subscriptions have grown more than 20 percent annually in the last five years and are expected to reach 4.3 billion globally by end 2017.
Fixed broadband
The number of fixed broadband subscriptions has increased 9 percent annually in the last five years and 330 million new fixed-broadband subscriptions have been added.
There are 31 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in developed countries against 9 in developing countries.
In LDCs, fixed-broadband penetration is one subscription per 100 inhabitants.
Broadband price
Mobile broadband prices as a percentage of GNI per capita halved between 2013 and 2016 worldwide. The steepest decrease ocurred in LDCs, where prices fell from 32.4 to 14.1 percent of GNI p.c.
Mobile broadband is more affordable than fixed broadband in most developing countries. Mobile broadband prices represent more than 5 percent of GNI per capita in most LDCs and unaffordable for the large majority of the population.
In LDCs, an entry-level fixed broadband subscription is 2.6 times more expensive than an entry-level mobile-broadband subscription.