Mobile devices are making the world go round. A study by the
World Bank and infoDev titled "Information and Communications
for Development 2012" found that an estimated three-quarters of
the world's people have access to a mobile device. The number of
worldwide mobile subscriptions grew from less than 1 billion in
2000 to over 6 billion today, the study said. Close to 5 billion
of the subscriptions are in developing countries, and mobile
subscriptions in low- and middle-income countries increased by
more than 1,500 percent between 2000 and 2010, from 4 to 72 per
100 inhabitants. While the increasing penetration of mobile
devices facilitates voice and text communication, it's the apps
that are bringing signficant changes in lifestyle and economics.
"Mobile communications offer major opportunities to advance
human and economic development -- from providing basic access to
health information to making cash payments, spurring job
creation, and stimulating citizen involvement in democratic
processes," World Bank V