Future Approach of Next Generation Cellular Mobile Communications

About ITU

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues, and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services. For 145 years, ITU has coordinated the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world, established the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems and addressed the global challenges of our times, such as mitigating the impact of natural disasters and climate change and strengthening cyber-security.

ITU also organizes worldwide and regional exhibitions and forums, such as ITU TELECOM WORLD, bringing together the most influential representatives of government and the telecommunications and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) industry to exchange ideas, knowledge and technology for the benefit of the global community, and in particular the developing world.

From broadband Internet to latest-generation wireless technologies, from aeronautical and maritime navigation to radio astronomy and satellite-based meteorology, from convergence in fixed-mobile phone, Internet access, data, voice and TV broadcasting to next-generation networks, ITU is committed to connecting the world (ITU, 2010).

ITU Definitions

Before we start with the statistics related to this chapter let us explain briefly some of the definitions related to the growth of ICT issued by ITU (PCBS, 2010):

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  Fixed telephone lines refers to the active line connecting the subscriber's terminal equipment to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and which has a dedicated port in the telephone exchange equipment.

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  Mobile cellular telephone subscriptions refers to the subscriptions to a public mobile telephone service and provides access to Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) using cellular technology, including number of pre-paid SIM cards active during the past three months. This includes both analogue and digital cellular systems (IMT-2000 Third Generation [3G] and Fourth Generation [4G]) subscriptions.

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  Total fixed (wired) Internet subscriptions refers to the number of total Internet subscriptions with fixed (wired) Internet access, which includes dial-up and total fixed (wired) broadband subscriptions. Only active subscriptions that have used the system within the past 3 months should be included.

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  Total fixed (wired) broadband Internet subscriptions refers to subscriptions to high-speed access to the public Internet (a TCP/IP connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s. This can include for example cable modem, DSL, fibre-to-the-home/building and other fixed (wired) broadband subscriptions.

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  Total Wireless broadband subscriptions refers to the sum of satellite, terrestrial fixed wireless and terrestrial mobile wireless subscriptions.