The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) estimates that by 2017 there will be 7.7 billion mobile subscriptions globally, of which 4.2 billion are considered mobile broadband lines. According to this calculation, the American continent would concentrate 15 percent of mobile subscriptions (1.14 billion) and 21 percent of mobile broadband (867 million). Within the Americas, the mobile markets of Latin America and the Caribbean share several characteristics.
A common feature in the region is a penetration of mobile services that at the end of 2017 exceeded 110 percent. Of the 19 markets analyzed in this report, the five markets in the top quartile present a mobile penetration level of 140 lines per 100 inhabitants or higher. Twelve markets in total have penetrations of 100 lines per 100 inhabitants (but below 140) and seven are below a 100 percent mobile penetration.