‘50% Of Global Population To Access Internet By 2017’

The International Tele
communication Union (ITU),  has said that half of the world would be online by the end of 2017.
The organisation in a report  titled “the State  of Broadband 2014: Broadband For All,” said over 50 per cent of the global population would have access to the internet within three years time.
It  added that the opportunity is a platform with mobile broadband over smartphones and tablets, which is believed to be the fastest growing technology in human history.
The ITU meeting which was held in Geneva, noted that more than 40 per cent of the world’s population are now online, with the number of internet users rising from 2.3 billion last year to 2.9 billion by the end of 2014.
It further stated that there are now about thrice as more mobile broadband connections than before, adding that the popularity of broadband-enabled social media applications have continued to rise.
The Director-General of United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, said that despite the phenomenal growth of the internet and its numerous gains, many people remained unconnected in the developing countries.
The UNESCO boss also noted that providing  interment connectivity to everyone, in all the places, would take determined policy leadership and investment.
Bokova, stressed on infrastructure and access as well as the enhancement of the right skills and diversity of content in order to enable all to participate in knowledge societies.
According to her, the new state of Broadband report indicated that ICT has made a remarkable contribution to social development, economics and environmental development, among others.
Such males, she reiterated, would underpin part of 2015 international development agenda, thereby, moving the people towards a more sustainable world.
The ITU report, also revealed that Nigeria now ranks 93rd in global broadband ranking.
According to the report, African countries like Ghana, Senegal are now ahead of Nigeria with their 52nd and 84th respective positions in the global ranking.