The birth of mobile [VIDEO]
Just over 30 years ago, there were barely enough mobile subscribers in the entire world to fill even a modest-sized stadium. Since then, invention has helped change the world. Today, there are more than 7 billion active mobile devices.
Drawing from data compiled by the World Bank, we charted the spread of mobile connectivity and invention across the globe—from the release of the first mobile phone in 1984 to the present day.
Of all the rapid jumps in mobile connection growth, the most interesting are from the past five years. While U.S. mobile connections grew by 13 percent since 2009, China dwarfed that with 47 percent growth, tallying just over 1.1 billion mobile subscribers in 2012—the latest available data point from the World Bank.
Check out our entire analysis of the video on the Qualcomm Tumblr.