Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2010-11 3.2.2 ICT Adoption Rates are High, but penetration in Europe being more than six times Significant Disparities Remain higher than in Africa (Figure 3.3).8 In developing coun-tries, where in most cases wireline infrastructure is not widespread, mobile networks are the only viable access option available for large parts of the population. Not surprisingly, it is expected that wireless technologies will play, and in many cases are already playing, a cru-cial New technologies, services and applications are be-ing deployed and taken-up by consumers at unprece-dented rates. Mobile Internet adoption in the United States, for instance, has grown eight times faster than desktop Internet adoption in the first nine quarters af-ter role in broadband diffusion in the next decade, with the launch of both services.4 Mobile cellular service today’s mobile voice users slated to be tomorrow’s broadband users. To ensure that mobile networks are able to keep pace with demand from broadband users for applications and services, such as m-health and m-banking, take-up has been a remarkable success story, with 2010 estimates of mobile penetration (i.e., subscribers per 100 inhabitants) surpassing 100 per cent in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and reaching more than 40 per cent in Africa.5 Wireless networks, particularly mobile cellular networks, are the most prevalent method for accessing communications and ICT services and applications in the world, with smartphones now driving the adoption of mobile broadband. By year end 2010, worldwide mobile cellu-lar the ITU and the World Bank have acknowl-edged the benefits of implementing spectrum policies that maximize the amount and value of spectrum avail-able, particularly through the award of digital dividend spectrum and spectrum refarming, as well as flexible use spectrum policies.9 3.2.3 New Applications and Services Will penetration will be nearly 60 per cent, with a ratio of Challenge Regulators and Policymakers 3.2 mobile cellular lines for each fixed line in service.6 In developing countries, however, this ratio is even more skewed towards mobile cellular service. Already at year end 2008, the mobile-fixed line ratio was 66.9:1 in Kenya; 105.1:1 in Tanzania; 50.8:1 in Uganda; and 39.1:1 in Zambia.7 While ICTs are permeating the commercial and fi-nancial realm, the workplace, entertainment, and social interaction and networking, this is just the beginning. In the next decade, ICTs will pervade our day-to-day activi-ties on a more significant level, providing an even greater breadth of applications and services -- many of which are not yet commercially available, or even con-ceived. However, there still remain significant disparities in Internet usage between regions, with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimating Internet us-er Figure 3.3: Estimated Internet user penetration, by region, 2010 % 70 62.7 60 48.7 50 40 25.7 30 19.1 19.6 20 7.5 10 0 Africa CIS Americas Arab States Europe Asia-Pacific Source: ITU, World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database 88 Chapter 3