Science, innovation and the digital revolution

Fixed and mobile broadband subscriptions continue to grow apace. The number of worldwide fixed broadband subscriptions increased by 72% in the last ten years, from 531.8 million in 2010 to 916.7 million in 2016. In OECD countries, fixed broadband subscriptions increased from 307.3 million in 2010 to 386.8 million in 2016, an increase of 26%. Mobile broadband growth by far outstripped fixed broadband with worldwide subscriptions increasing from 824.5 million in 2010 to 3 864 million in 2016. At the end of 2016, just over half the world’s population had a mobile broadband subscription. By way of contrast, the average for OECD countries was 99.3%. The pace of change can be rapid, however. Mobile broadband subscriptions in non-OECD countries registered a nine-fold increase over the last decade, with India adding almost 100 million broadband subscriptions in 2016 alone.