Growth and Development of the Cellular Phone

Abstract

The growth in the development of usage of Cellular phones must be understood from the fact that three-quarter of the world's population is now using phones. This means that mobile communication as well as mobile penetration in the developed and developing world has reached a new level altogether. In this context, it is imperative to say that there are developments not only in the number of phones being used but also in the way these phones are being used. Aside from the social perspective of this growth and development of cellular phones, there are economic implications for it also. The paper discusses the connection between this growth and development in cellular phones with economic growth, the implications of this growth on business, and disadvantages of this high penetration.

Growth and Development of the Cellular Phone

Introduction

The growth in the development of usage of Cellular phones must be understood from the fact that three-quarter of the world's population is now using phones. This means that mobile communication as well as mobile penetration in the developed and developing world has reached a new level altogether. In this context, it is imperative to say that there are developments not only in the number of phones being used but also in the way these phones are being used (Nickerson & Robert, 2008). Other than calling and texting there are so many other uses of cellular phones such as emailing, apps and others. Aside from the social perspective of this growth and development of cellular phones, there are economic implications for it also.

Statistics of cellular phones

The growth of mobile phones is exploding. The figures are higher for the developed world than they are for the developing nations in that the developed markets have saturated and there is no untapped potential unlike the developing market. For the developed nations, the competition is more on the lines of cellular phone features. Information and Communications for Development published a report on the growth of cellular phones in the world in the year 2012 (The World Bank, 2012). The report suggested that over 20 billion apps were downloaded in the year 2011 alone. Among the developing countries, the highest growth rate has been seen for Africa whereby the mobiles are being used not only for the basic communications but also for money transfer and telecommerce (Prows, 2009).

These statistics would not have increased, if it was not for the innovation in the telecommunication industry. This innovation has changed the very meaning of communication and connectivity. Some of the important keywords that relate to innovation in the cellular business include bandwidth, Wi-Fi, edge, GPRS, 3G and VoIP (ITU, 2012). These are things that have changed the mobile industry dynamics and many consumers are aware of the changes in the industry.

The statistics on mobile phones also show a change in trend whereby one third of mobile phones are being used by the developing countries. These mobile phones which have now become an essential part of ...