While landline subscriptions peaked in the early 2000s, mobile subscriptions began to rise rapidly.
From fewer than 10 subscriptions per 100 people before 2000, mobile penetration reached 50 per 100 people by 2007 and 100 per 100 people by 2017.
In 2025, there are 111.5 mobile subscriptions per 100 people worldwide, compared with just 9.9 landline subscriptions (a figure that has fallen back to roughly 1990 levels).
Mobile phones have not only replaced landlines but have also connected far more people than fixed-line networks ever did.
