Three-quarters of world to have mobile by 2011...

Three-quarters of consumers around the world will have a mobile phone by 2011, it has been predicted.

Around 1.5 billion new mobile consumers are forecast to emerge over the next four years, with 65 per cent of these coming from the Asia Pacific region, according to mobile research company Portio Research.

Portio also predicts the majority of new users will come from low-income segments but the US will also see five years of high value growth.

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♦ Mobile location-based services
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♦ 3G

The Next Billion: Strategies for driving growth and making profits in low-ARPU mobile markets report suggests mobile penetration is currently approaching 50 per cent.

The report also looks at the monthly average revenue per user (ARPU), with the monthly ARPU of a US consumer equivalent to the annual ARPU in rural regions in countries such as India and Pakistan.

Portio said the Asia Pacific region has significant growth potential which should not be ignored, despite North America and Europe offering higher ARPU.

South America will also be significant according to the research, as it will offer higher ARPU than much of Asia, the Middle East or Africa.