UN predicts Internet to hit 2B users by end of 2010
Nearly one-third of the world’s population will be online by the end of the year, according to a United Nations report.
The number of people using the Internet around the world doubled in the past five years and should surpass 2 billion users by the end of this year, noted a report from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency focused on information and communications technology issues.
This is quite a milestone for the Net, said Dan Olds, an analyst at Gabriel Consulting Group. To put it in context, it’s estimated that there are almost 7 billion humans on Earth today. To think that almost a third of them have access to the Net is remarkable. It becomes an astounding thought when you consider that we’ve come from essentially zero Internet users 20 years ago to where we are today.
The new numbers also put Facebook’s online dominance into perspective. The social networking site announced in July that it had reached half a billion users. Based on the UN’s numbers, that means about a quarter of everyone online is using Facebook. The ITU report also noted that UN analysts expect that there will be 226 million new Internet users just this year, and that 162 million of them will be from developing countries. While poorer countries are making great strides, Internet access in developed countries still is way ahead.The ITU reported that 71% of the population in developed countries will be online by the end of this year, compared with 21% of the population in developing countries.
The numbers are similar when it comes to having Internet access at home. In developed countries, 65% of people have access to the Internet in their homes, but in developing countries that number drops to 13.5%. And the ITU also noted that while many people still don’t have access to high-speed Internet, there’s a growing dependence on mobile telephony. According to the U.N., more than 90% of the population worldwide has access to mobile networks.
Oil Prices Hovers Below $79
SINGAPORE: Oil prices hovered below $79 a barrel Tuesday in Asia as investors look to crude demand growth in Asia next year to offset a sluggish US economy.
Benchmark crude for December delivery was down 26 cents to $78.64 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $2.55 to settle at $78.90 on Monday.
Traders are trying to anticipate the strength of the global economic recovery and how much crude demand may grow during the next 12 months. Some analysts expect demand in Asia, especially China, will help push prices higher amid a moderate U.S. recovery.
“Demand out of the U.S. will be pretty stagnant, but we’re looking at very healthy demand growth out of Asia,” said Alan Plaugmann, a commodities analyst in Singapore. “I think oil fundamentals will tighten and we’ll retain the bull market.
Plaugmann said he expects crude to reach $100 a barrel during the second or third quarter next year.
In other Nymex trading, heating oil fell 0.75 cent to $2.02 a gallon. Gasoline for December delivery dropped 1.37 cents to $1.97 a gallon. Natural gas for December delivery rose 1.8 cents to $4.63 per 1,000 cubic feet.
In London, Brent crude for December delivery fell 27 cents to $78.49 on the ICE Futures exchange.
Oil Prices Hovers Below $79 was first posted on November 17, 2009 at 3:20 pm.
