Report
To the average mobile-phone user, the benefits of wireless are obvious. Consider the numbers. Worldwide, about a billion people will purchase new handsets in 2006. In Afghanistan, the wireless population has grown from 20,000 users five years ago to 1.3 million today. And in China, many of the nearly 100 million rural migrant workers rely on a mobile phone not only for their work, but to stay connected with the families they have left behind. The explosive growth of wireless subscribers – 1.2 million new users added daily in emerging economies around the globe – is changing society. Users are captivated by the freedom, security, and enhanced productivity that mobile phones make possible. This 2006 report describes the mobile phenomenon.