Trends in Distance Education and Open Learning: Policy ... - ADEA

As per figure II.2, 2 billion people across the world are on the Internet, but very few inAfrica. While 71% of the population in developed countries are online, only 21% of thepopulation in developing countries are online. By the end of 2010, Internet user penetrationin Africa will reach 9.6%, far behind both the world average (30%) and the developingcountry average (21%).Figure II.2The figure II.3 below shows from a US perspective the reach of mobile learning applicationsand services. It is interesting to note that in the early stage 2008, mobile applications wereamong health, guides and games designed for children. Recently, we have seen theapparition of mobile learning services on subscription basis from international carriers,telco service providers and device manufacturers with large subscriber bases. Latestservices are IT certification content, consumers “how to” content, location based serviceswith augmented reality as added value.39