Editing Internet access (section)

===Growth in number of users===
{{Worldwide Internet users}}
{{Internet users by region}}
{{Main|Global Internet usage}}

Access to the Internet grew from an estimated 10 million people in 1993, to almost 40 million in 1995, to 670 million in 2002, and to 2.7 billion in 2013.<ref>[http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2013-e.pdf "ITC Facts and Figures 2013"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230143936/http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2013-e.pdf |date=2014-12-30 }}, Brahima Sanou, Telecommunication Development Bureau, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Geneva, February 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2015.</ref> With [[market saturation]], growth in the number of Internet users is slowing in industrialized countries, but continues in Asia,<ref>[http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/full_story/the_lives_of_asian_youth/ "The lives of Asian youth"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511152234/http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/full_story/the_lives_of_asian_youth |date=2009-05-11 }}, Change Agent, August 2005</ref> Africa, Latin America, the [[Caribbean]], and the Middle East. Across Africa, an estimated 900 million people are still not connected to the internet; for those who are, connectivity fees remain generally expensive, and bandwidth is severely constrained in many locations.<ref name="Denis-2022">{{Cite web |title=Digital infrastructure help Africa build resilient societies |url=https://www.eib.org/en/essays/african-digital-infrastructure |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=European Investment Bank |language=en |archive-date=2022-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905024355/https://www.eib.org/en/essays/african-digital-infrastructure |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Mitchell-2021">{{Cite news |date=2021-11-10 |title=African e-Connectivity Index 2021: the final frontier and a huge opportunity |url=https://www.investmentmonitor.ai/tech/africa-connectivity-index-2021 |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Investment Monitor |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-06-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619074000/https://www.investmentmonitor.ai/tech/africa-connectivity-index-2021 |url-status=live |last1=Mitchell |first1=Jason }}</ref> The number of mobile customers in Africa, however, is expanding faster than everywhere else. Mobile financial services also allow for immediate payment of products and services.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Solutions |url=https://www.wearetech.africa/en/fils-uk/solutions |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=www.wearetech.africa |language=fr-fr |archive-date=2023-01-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117054517/https://www.wearetech.africa/en/fils-uk/solutions |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How Africa's growing mobile money market is evolving |url=https://www.ey.com/en_ao/banking-capital-markets/how-africa-s-growing-mobile-money-market-is-evolving |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=www.ey.com |language=en-AO |archive-date=2023-01-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117054415/https://www.ey.com/en_ao/banking-capital-markets/how-africa-s-growing-mobile-money-market-is-evolving |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bayuo |first1=Blaise |last2=Bamford |first2=Roxanne |last3=Baah |first3=Belinda |last4=Mwaya |first4=Judith |last5=Gakuo |first5=Chizi |last6=Tholstrup |first6=Sophie |date=February 2022 |title=Supercharging Africa's Startups: The Continent's Path to Tech Excellence |url=https://institute.global/policy/supercharging-africas-startups-continents-path-tech-excellence |language=en |access-date=2022-09-06 |archive-date=2022-09-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903112424/https://institute.global/policy/supercharging-africas-startups-continents-path-tech-excellence |url-status=live }}</ref>

There were roughly 0.6 billion fixed broadband subscribers and almost 1.2 billion mobile broadband subscribers in 2011.<ref>[http://gigaom.com/2010/07/09/worldwide-broadband-subscribers/ Giga.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704064425/https://gigaom.com/2010/07/09/worldwide-broadband-subscribers/ |date=2017-07-04 }} Nearly Half a Billion Broadband Subscribers</ref> In developed countries people frequently use both fixed and mobile broadband networks. In developing countries mobile broadband is often the only access method available.<ref name=ITU-ITCFacts/>