Mobile subscriber base to pass 3bn in weeks

Following article by Tim Green of Mobile Entertainment

Mobile subscriber base to pass 3bn in weeks

There will be 3 billion mobile subscribers by July 2007, says The Mobile World.

A new survey by the researcher reveals there were 2.84 billion global mobile subscribers at the end of March 2007, and that the current rate of growth will take the total past 3 billion next month.

This represents an increase of more than 135 million on December 2006, and is equivalent to more than 1,000 new customers every minute. Over 250 million new handsets were sold in the quarter.

It’s the third strongest quarter in the industry’s history. The Mobile World now predicts global penetration will hit 50 per cent by the end of the year. Penetration in Europe now exceeds 100 per cent, with 666 million connections.

John Tysoe, principal analyst at The Mobile World, said: “It took over 20 years to connect the first billion subscribers, but only 40 months to connect the second billion. The three billion milestone will be passed in July 2007, just two years on. By the end of the year, the global mobile base will exceed 3.25bn connections, or over half the world’s population. With handsets and services becoming ever more affordable, the prospect of a fully connected mobile world is becoming ever more real.”

Say no to 0870 Numbers

http://www.saynoto0870.com/

There is a growing increase of companies in the UK opting to use 0870 numbers (and similar). Usually to hide their geographical location and appear more national and in doing so get a commission on the phone call, so there is no incentive to advertise their geographical numbers.

However, if like me you are out and about and using your mobile, you probably have a price plan that includes a bundle of talk time which don't include 0870 numbers in the pricing plan.

This site is great as it lists many well known companies, and their equivalent geographical numbers so you can dial the geographical number, save on the cost of the call and also use them as part of your price plan on your mobile if you have that kind of price plan.

TIP: don't forget to Dial 141 first as some companies won't answer if they see the incoming call is UK based.

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