3.5bn to use internet by end of 2016 – ITU

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has said by the end 2016 3.5 billion people will be using the Internet, up from 3.2 billion last year and equating to 47% of the global population. ​ ​​​The ITU also said India had overtaken the United States to become the world’s second largest Internet market, with 333 million […]

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has said by the end 2016 3.5 billion people will be using the Internet, up from 3.2 billion last year and equating to 47% of the global population.
​ ​​​The ITU also said India had overtaken the United States to become the world’s second largest Internet market, with 333 million users, trailing China’s 721 million.
A new report released last week by the UN agency also confirms that just six nations – including China and India – together account for 55% of the total global population still offline, because of the sheer size of their populations.
While Internet access is approaching saturation in richer nations, connectivity is still not advancing fast enough to help bridge development gaps in areas like education and health care for those in poorer parts of the world, according to the 2016 edition of The State of Broadband  report.
“There is a large body of economic evidence for the role of affordable broadband connectivity as a vital enabler of economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao, who serves as co-Vice Chair of the Commission with UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.