Mobile phones are becoming the most rapidly adopted technology in history and the most popular and widespread personal technology in the world. Additionally, they play an increasingly important role in providing access to the Internet. Access to mobile networks is available to 90% of the world population, and to 80% of the population living in rural areas, according to the ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database; and among OECD countries mobile broadband subscriptions grew at a compounded annual growth rate of 20% between 2007 and 2009, according to the OECD Communications Outlook 2011.