This year, mobile subscriptions will be nearly equal to global population. India's share: 13%

The number of mobile-cellular subscriptions worldwide is approaching the number of people on earth.

Let that sink in for a bit.

According to a report from the UN’s International Telecommunications Union, the number of mobile number subscriptions will reach 7 billion by the end of 2014 – equivalent to the population on the planet. Of that 7 billion, more than half will come from the Asia Pacific region.

In developing countries, mobile-cellular penetration will reach 90 percent by end 2014, compared with 121 percent indeveloped countries. The overall average penetration is about 96 percent.

Africa (69 percent) and Asia and the Pacific (89 percent) are the main growth engines of a rise in mobile subscribers; in addition, with low penetration rates, they have enough room for continued booming growth.

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As is evident from the chart below, developing countries will continue to have a lion’s share of the number of mobile subscribers.

The chart below shows a regional breakdown of the number of mobile subscribers per 100 inhabitants. The Commonwealth of Independent States, made up of several eastern European countries, leads the lot, with 141 subscribers per 100 inhabitants. Africa and Asia and Pacific, two markets with the maximum potential, have the lowest penetration globally.

India, incidentally, has about 903 million mobile users, making it the one of the largest mobile phone subscriber populations in the world. That’s about 13 percent of the global mobile subscription population. Private-sector companies dominate the wireless market in the country, commanding about 89 percent of market share.