Mobile phone subscriptions across the European Union are leveling off, according to statistics released Monday by the EU head office that also showed tiny Luxembourg and cellular havens Sweden and Italy leading the way in the use of cell phones.
A survey by the EU's statistics agency Eurostat found that for every 100 EU citizens, approximately 80 had one or more mobile phone subscriptions in 2003 -- showing that room for expansion seems to be rounding off after a meteoric rise over the last decade.
The report said in 1995 only 5 out of every 100 citizens had a mobile phone subscription, while the number of subscriptions increased from 22 million in 1995 to 364 million in 2003.
"I think the rapid growth of mobile telephoning is fading out and now, well, practically everyone has a mobile phone," said Martti Lumio, the project manager of communication statistics at Eurostat. "I would expect it in the future to develop on a qualitative level. It's not for calling anymore."
Lumio attributed much of the popularity of mobile phones to services like text messaging and photo and Internet capabilities.
Luxembourg had the highest percentage of mobile phone subscriptions with 120 per 100 inhabitants, the report said. Sweden, Italy, and the Czech Republic followed with 98, 96, and 95 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, respectively.
The lowest number of subscriptions were found in Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, with 46, 52, and 62 per 100 inhabitants.
The number of land lines increased from 197 million in 1995 to 230 million in 2001, but fell slightly to 229 million in 2003 after a period of growth in the late '90s due to increase in home-based Internet connections, the report said.
However, an overall decrease in landlines can be ascribed both to the lack of convenience and competition with broadband and other mediums.
"Fixed lines are developing on a broadband basis," Lumio said. "There are the ASDL lines and cable lines coming to telephones."
There were approximately 50 land lines per 100 EU inhabitants in 2003, the survey found. In Lithuania and Slovakia, there were only 24 lines per 100 inhabitants, compared to 67 lines per 100 inhabitants in Denmark and 66 per 100 in Germany.