There are presently 2,5bn cellular connections, up from 1,5bn at the start of 2004, says Wireless Intelligence, a venture between Ovum and the GSM Association. That number is increasing at a rate of 40m new connections every month, it claims, adding this is the fastest rate of growth yet seen by the cellular industry.

The number of cellular connections does not represent the number of cellular users, since many subscribers have more than one cellular connection, Wireless Intelligence says. In addition, these figures include prepaid accounts that may no longer be active. It did not offer an estimate for the number of inactive connections.

Over the last year, there have been 484m new cellular connections created. Much of this growth is happening in Asia, which accounted for 41% of new cellular connections, Wireless Intelligence says. China alone accounts for around five million new connections every month, it states, adding that India is quickly catching up.

Eastern Europe and Latin America together accounted for 30% of new connections, while Africa was home to 10% of new connections, Wireless Intelligence states. North America, Western Europe and the Middle East accounted for 20% of new connections, the company says.