Business Chief Europe Magazine April 2015 | Page 33

TECHNOLOGY
and smartphone sphere , the low-end market is exploding with sub- $ 50 phones able to connect seamlessly to the internet now a reality , and driven by operators producing their own devices . Another global association , the CTIA ( Wireless Association ), states that tablets account for 40 percent of all mobile broadband connections . In America , 66 percent of such connections will be made via tablets this year .
Despite the surge in connectivity since the turn of the millennium , only one third of the world ’ s people have access to the internet . In a drive to connect the most isolated parts of the world to the undoubted benefits of the World Wide Web , huge companies are pouring investment into initiatives across all continents .
For instance , Facebook , Nokia , Qualcomm and Samsung are spearheading an initiative involving the development in its bid to link up the remaining two thirds of the global population .
The work of programmes like this and the collaboration of global telecoms and internet providers will be crucial in taking the next steps towards a truly connected planet .
Uniting interests Representing the interests and helping to converge the movements of key industry players are associations , both on national and global scales .
Spanning more than 220 countries and serving nearly 800 companies is the GSMA , chaired by Telenor Group ’ s President and CEO Jon Fredrik

‘ Facebook , Nokia , Qualcomm and Samsung are spearheading an initiative involving the development in its bid to link up the remaining two thirds of the global population .’

33