The line graph compares how many people used different communication services – landline service, internet service, mobile broadband, cellular phone service, and fixed broadband – in the world from 1998 to 2008.
Overall, the figures for traditional landline services remained relatively stable, while internet and cellular phone services showed an upward trend over the given timeframe. Of particular note is that mobile and fixed broadband witnessed negligible growth during the whole period.
The most striking trend is the sharp rise in cellular phone service throughout the decade. In 1998, the number of people who used cellular phone service stood at approximately 5 per 100 inhabitants, before going up to just over 60 per 100 inhabitants in 2008, thereby becoming the dominant mode of communication worldwide. Similarly, the figure for internet service increased noticeably from around 4 per 100 inhabitants to 10 per 100 inhabitants in 2004. By 2008, the rate of internet service witnessed a sharp rise to roughly 23 per 100 inhabitants, overtaking landline usage in 2006.
In contrast, landline communication remained a relatively stable service between 1998 and 2008, beginning at around 15 per 100 inhabitants before rising slightly over 10 years, reaching about 18 per 100 inhabitants by 2008. Turning to mobile and fixed broadband, both of them did not exist by 2002, before showing tangible growth during the remaining years. By 2008, fixed broadband increased slightly to approximately a mere 6 per 100, slightly higher than mobile usage, at 5 per 100.