Access to telecommunication services rose on an unprecedented scale over the past two decades. This growth was driven primarily by wireless technologies and liberalization of telecommunications markets, which have enabled faster and less costly network rollout. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that there were about 6 billion mobile subscriptions globally in the early 2010s. No technology has ever spread faster around the world. Mobile communications have a particularly important impact in rural areas. The mobility, ease of use, flexible deployment, and relatively low and declining rollout costs of wireless technologies enable them to reach rural populations with low levels of income and literacy. The next billion mobile subscribers will consist mainly of the rural poor. Access is the key to delivering telecommunications services to people. If the service is not affordable to most people, goals of universal usage will not be met.

Over the past decade new financing and technology, along with privatization and market liberalization, have spurred dramatic growth in telecommunications in many countries. With the rapid development of mobile telephony and the global expansion of the Internet, information and communication technologies are increasingly recognized as essential tools of development, contributing to global integration and enhancing public sector effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency.
Mobile cellular sub-basket (US$ per month)
Unlike the 2009 OECD methodology, which is based on the prices of the two largest mobile operators, the ITU mobile sub-basket uses only the largest mobile operator's prices. Additionally, the ITU mobile-cellular sub-basket does not take into account calls to voicemail (which in the OECD basket represent 4 per cent of all calls), nor non-recurring charges, such as the one-time charge for a SIM card. The basket gives the price of a standard basket of mobile monthly usage in USD determined by the OECD for 30 outgoing calls per month in predetermined ratios plus 100 sms messages. The cost of national sms is the charge to the consumer for sending a single sms text message. Both on-net and off-net sms prices are taken into account. The basket considers on-net and off-net calls as well as calls to a fixed telephone and, since the price of calls often depends on the time of day or week it is made, peak, off-peak and weekend periods are also taken into consideration.
Mobile cellular sub-basket refers to the price of a standard basket of mobile monthly usage for 30 outgoing calls per month (on-net, off-net, to a fixed line and for peak and off-peak times) in predetermined ratios, plus 100 SMS messages. The mobile cellular sub-basket is based on prepaid tariffs although postpaid tariffs may be used for countries where prepaid subscriptions make up less than three per cent of all mobile cellular subscriptions. The mobile cellular prepaid sub-basket is largely based, but does not entirely follow, the 2009 methodology of the OECD low-user basket.
Mobile-cellular sub-basket refers to the price of a standard basket of mobile monthly usage for 30 outgoing calls per month (on-net, off-net, to a fixed line and for peak and off-peak times) in predetermined ratios, plus 100 SMS messages. The mobile-cellular sub-basket is based on prepaid tariffs although post-paid tariffs may be used for countries where prepaid subscriptions make up less than three per cent of all mobile-cellular subscriptions. The mobile-cellular prepaid sub-basket is largely based, but does not entirely follow, the 2009 methodology of the OECD low-user basket.

Prepaid prices were chosen because they are often the only payment method available to low-income users, who might not have a regular income and will thus not qualify for a postpaid subscription. Rather than reflecting the cheapest option available, the mobile-cellular sub-basket therefore corresponds to a basic, representative (low-usage) package available to all customers. In countries where no prepaid offers are available, the monthly fixed cost (minus the free minutes of calls included, if applicable) of a postpaid subscription is added to the basket. To make prices comparable, a number of rules are applied.

Prices are reported and collected in national currency and then converted to USD. Prices include taxes.