[Air-l] new technologies: diffusion

Collette Snowden collettesnowden at yahoo.com
Thu Nov 13 15:59:40 PST 2003


>Bernie Hogan wrote
#1 DVD is diffusing faster than the Internet, as is the mobile phone in many
places. It is not unprecedented. Furthermore, the diffusion curve here
suggests that television might have been as steep

 
Hi all,
 
I must support Bernie Hogan's point about the mobile/cellular phone - I am constantly looking for data on mobile/cellular phone uptake and penetration rates ( because it is changing so fast) and everything I see -  while quite variable -  is consistent in showing that mobile/cellular is far outstripping the Internet in terms of speed of uptake and penetration. 
 
(I have a article I wrote about this issue in 1999, if anyone is interested contact me directly and I will send you details.)

 
In many places such as China, India, and Africa the lack or inadequacy of existing telecommunications infrastructure naturally means that the Internet cannot be adopted (  there is no access to fixed line for dial-up Internet connection, let alone Broadband), whereas new mobile networks offer people  relatively cheap access to basic communications service and with 3G beginning to roll out mobile internet becomes more viable. 
 
The Financial Times ( author -Tobias Buck) reported on November 9 ( Europe Section. p.6)  that  EU mobile phone use tops 80% of populace
This report notes penetration rates are now fast approaching 90 per cent in many EU member states. In Luxembourg, the total number of mobile phones now exceeds the number of inhabitants, with 115 phones for every 100 citizens.


The ITU has regular data for the world which might be useful to many, with some free data available, see
 
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/at_glance/KeyTelecom99.html
 
and with data on most countries and regions also available via the ITU on an annual basis.
 
On a related note, the postings on this subject remind me of how we need to be careful about the use of statistics and the representation of data - but that is a whole other thread! For those in Europe with an interest in this area the ITU is having a Statistical workshop in conjuction with the World Summit on Information Society organized by:
UNECE, UNCTAD, ITU, UNESCO Inst. of Statistics, OECD, Eurostat
 
"Monitoring the Information Society: Data, Measurement and Methods"
(Geneva, 8-9 December 2003) See;

http://www.unece.org/stats/documents/2003.12.wsis.htm
 
For information about the ITU policy on this subject see:
 
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/update/edito.htm
 
 
( I am still looking for the perfect graph, and if I ever find it I promise to post it immediately!)
 
Collette Snowden
School of Communication, Information and New Media
University of South Australia
 


 

 
 




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