Sign in / up

back to article Majority of humans still don't have a mobile

The world still has some way to go before it is fully mobile, with global subscriber penetration standing at just 45 per cent despite the huge strides made in countries such as China and India, according to a new report from industry body The GSMA. Global penetration based on total connections will exceed 100 per cent by next …

COMMENTS

House rules Send corrections
This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. ElReg!comments!Pierre
    Happy

    I am majority, biatch!

    So I am not abnormal then; as a cellphoneless person I stand with the majority of human beings. Now that's reassuring.

    I wonder how my personnal 3 routers, 2 1400 VA UPS, and 10 active computers (including a pristine alphaserver still running its original tru64, 2 Ben Nanonotes and 2 Raspberry Pis) -all in a 50 sq. m. appartment- affect my normality rating...

    0 0
    1. Dazed and Confused
      Reply Icon

      Re: I am majority, biatch!

      But without a mobe how do you connect and manage your babies when you're not there?

      All those poor computers will get lonely if you're not giving them enough love and attention.

      0 0
      1. ElReg!comments!Pierre
        Reply Icon

        Re: I am majority, biatch!

        > But without a mobe how do you connect and manage your babies when you're not there?

        The big'huns been trained to take care o'dsmall huns.

        1 0
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      So

      There is a place in the world where I can avoid mobile phones....

      Where, where, please tell me.

      0 0
      1. M7S
        Reply Icon

        Re: So

        North Korea beckons perhaps?

        Or the polar regions

        0 0
  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    To the fuckwit that designed Santander's OTP

    LOOK AT THE TITLE OF THE ARTICLE YOU FUCKIN ARSEHOLE.

    nuff said.

    2 3

  3. This post has been deleted by its author

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "The world still has some way to go..."

    I've been there it was rubbish. I dumped my phone. I'm free.

    0 0
  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I have 2

    My old one is a better alarm clock - louder and wakes up for this purpose when powered off, so less likely to fail at getting me up. I send it a free SMS about every 2 months so I can use it as a backup phone if needed. My wife keeps her old one because she likes the FM radio on it.

    0 0
  6. Tom 7

    I've got one somewhere

    it pops up occasionally and I charge it and check a few messages but I'm either working - cant charge a customer for using the phone can i? or driving - not safe or relaxing - sort your own problem out.

    And since I've stopped using the phone all the time I can get organised and have time to waste on register comments.

    Phones are like the kids in the back of the car but stop you driving - are we there yet are we there yet are we there yet so you never get anywhere. Anyone who thinks they are a useful business tool should check out microsoft project....

    0 0
    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: I've got one somewhere

      Phones are a useful business tool.

      How else can I talk to the plumber on site, and talk them through fixing one of our units. Or the engineer when he's on a site visit, to try and sell him the right thing. How else do I answer a quick email when I'm on the train, when some customer claims he needs an answer in 10 minutes. OK, he should have found it out a week ago, then he wouldn't be in a rush. But the fact that I can answer that question now may be the difference between getting the order and not.

      Plus I can find out which pub my mate's in, and join him there - even if we didn't plan a drink in advance.

      If I don't want to answer the call, I don't. My phone usually tells me who it is, in big letters. Or I can turn it off. Mobile phones are bloody great. Admittedly other peoples' can be annoying. But other people will always find ways to be annoying, so what's one more...

      3 0
  7. Chris Miller

    37%

    of the world's population still lack access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation. I suspect the absence of a Twitter feed isn't high on their list of priorities.

    13 1
    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: 37%

      Knowing the market price in the 3 nearest towns, so you can take your crops/goods to the one that gets you the best price, is rather useful. The extra cash you make from doing that, could be usefully spent on all sorts of things, including clean drinking water.

      Plus, even poor people have friends, and might like to talk to them...

      Better communications should lead to better markets, and therefore better economies, which can afford better services. Add in that corrupt politicians will find it harder to get away with it, and mobile phones can make quite a bit of difference in the world.

      2 2
  8. Triggerfish

    Re: Re: 37%

    While I see your point, generally speaking people who have lack of access to clean drinking water and sanitation, tend to also have lack of access to money which is one of those things that you need to buy a mobile.

    If there's coverage anyway of course.

    2 0
    1. davenewman
      Reply Icon

      Re: 37%

      You don't buy a mobile phone. You pay the village phone woman for the call. She has the phone for the village.

      1 0
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: 37%

      What the Dave chap said about the phone-owning village woman / man owning.

      You're far more likely to have GSM coverage in Africa than you are to have a fixed land-line or electricity, other than from petrol-powered small generators they use to recharge the phones and a couple of other things.

      Where there is not even GSM coverage, the village's phonemaster will have a Thuraya instead of a Nokia.

      0 0
  9. Triggerfish

    RE 37%

    That still means the majority don't have a mobile.*

    *I realise this is just being bloody pedantic :)

    0 0
  10. opaque

    When a large % of the world's population doesn't have clean water or electricity I don't think it should be a surprise that not everyone has a mobile.

    0 0
This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like