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Half of the world's population has a cellular phone


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"THE number of mobile phone users world soared to over 3.3 billion by the end of 2007, equivalent to a penetration rate of 49 percent, the International Telecommunications Union has said in a report"
lemonsun12

25 responses // Half of the world's population has a cellular phone

  • 100% of the 13 year olds have at Indy 4 have them, but don't know how to turn them off...
    handshakeheartbreak
  • Half the world is using cell phones while the other half starves to death.
    lifestudentno83
  • All these people with phones and im the only one all the girls call.
    LukesAlive
  • that guy in the pic ( masai ? ) is ordering 3 , 2 topping pizzas and has a coupon too , and he'll also go in for the cheesy bread sticks and a 2 liter bottle of Coke , and maybe he'll get to participate in a drawing to win $10k's worth of movie tickets if he has the right bottle top - or maybe he's calling in to vote for his fave. american idol contestant , or dispute a cable bill .
    malathion
  • Hey, can you hear me now? Oh you're starving to death? I'm sorry, wrong number.
    natenate
  • godforbid u actualy hand write something

    soon the post office will be as popular as the ebaystore

    n obviously they can't hear u, malathion
    scratchnsnif
  • watch this comment being used here, here, here, here and here
    It is amazing that countries without medicine and food that the U.S. has had for years has the perks like cell phones and Nike shoes. It seems the world has to change its priorities.
    atommccree
  • In Cuba i heard that the people are giving up 8 months salary just to get a phone. Image the look on there face when they find out their first months bill will cost them more then eight months.
    helloignorants
  • If only we could figure out how to avoid dropping them in water...
    ultravphunter
  • 3.3 billion and every year or two people ditch their old phones for the newest models. How bout that e-waste.
    VigorousAlloy
  • So the other half of the world don't have cellphones?! So primitive! Oh do tell, how can one survive?

    Lol.

    As long as the 3.3 billion cellphone owners don't go bragging around their cellphones to the non-cellphone users cause everybody's gonna want one.
    pogschampion
  • i highly doubt it is 3.3 billion owners, probably 3.3 billion people have access to or have used a cell phone in the past year. The other 3.7 billion desperately want to use a cell phone, wait until they see how awesome it really is!
    shbhanda
  • That's a lot of cellphones....... It's going to take a shit load of landfills to contain them.
    Fuzzy_Chaos
  • The part in the article where they mention the divide in the internet, and, more notably, broadband, it so true. Our broadband here in South Africa is useless, and when you can get it, you pay insane amount for it.

    I'm not blaming lack of technology for this, but rather our ONLY fixed line operator.
    hannesc
  • I call Bullshit. It is HIGHLY unlikely that half of the worlds population would have a cell phone. I want proof before i make a funny comment about how they are starving.
    chillwillNJ
  • Not only is there a lot of waste to get rid of them as people replace them every two years (perhaps because the manufacturers and distributors make it easier and desirable to buy a new than to replace the battery), but it takes a lot of energy to make them. Additionally, they design each new phone so that you have to buy a new cable to charge the phone because they change the connection to the phone. So, they are using energy to make the cables and charges and creating more needless waste.
    Swimmer03
  • I'm so curious about who the carriers are, what kind of services they offer, how much the bills are. It does seem an oxymoron to have a cell phone and no food...I wonder if coverage was developed for the benefit of tourists and/or aid workers?
    Tori
  • I think it's western arrogance to assume that someone living in a country with a developing economy is going to be starving.

    We all want phones - why shouldn't everyone else? It's a bit patronising to think that the mobile phone systems would only be developed for tourists and aid workers. The need to communicate easily with your friends and family is universal.

    I'd imagine that in a country which doesn't have prior investment in landlines, mobile communication is probably going to be faster to implement and less costly.

    Sorry for ranting.
    lwhi
  • lwhi,

    I am with you brother. It's a terrible part of how we treat the developing world as some generic "other". When many developing countries are land locked and/or have poor transport (a key factor in reducing development opportunities), a mobile phone is a critical tool for business and even in the poorest places there is business to be done. You can use a phone to make an income but you don't necessarily need shoes.
    fernandez_is_go
  • "I think it's western arrogance to assume that someone living in a country with a developing economy is going to be starving."

    How is that arrogant when people in developed nations starve to death? The fact that half the people in the world have a cell phone but a significant number of people still starve to death is mind-boggling to me. The money spent on the manufacturing, shipping, and retail of these phones could feed at least some of those people.

    Since there is no profit in charity, these people go hungry. THAT'S Western Arrogance for you.
    lifestudentno83
  • I dont have a cell phone, I decided to buy a mobile phone as they are better.
    RossSlater
  • I will admit that I don't think I titled this submission completly correctly. I think that 3.3 billion cell phones have been purchased, and many of the people who purchased these phones carry two or three for buisness v. home or they throw their old ones out as soon as a better one comes along. I know that personally I have had 3 cellphones and I'm only 15. However, I also agree that is arrogant to believe that people in second and even third world countries don't have phones or access to phones. The world is becoming more and more interconnected now of days. Europe, Japan, and the US are not the only countries whose people are actively pursuing technology.
    lemonsun12
  • I ran into one of those big clunky motorola phones from like 10 years ago the other day. Damn, what a sight, like half the size of my head! Looks like Africa is getting their feet wet with some techonogy. Now I can call my Bro in Chad!
    Scottishman
  • Lemonsun, you know you can always edit your headlines or content if you want to?

    The bottom line for me is that in the west (or north) we always presume what is best for developing countries ... The point is that people in developing countries obviously see communication as a major priority (as do we, just look at this website) and they choose to buy phones. So if they want phones, they should have them.
    fernandez_is_go
  • seams like we should all be able to comunicate,
    whats the hold up on world peace???
    gentjim

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