After two years of decline, international outgoing telephone traffic is growing, according to the latest data reported by public telecommunications authorities to the International Telecommunication Union. The 12.4% rise reported in 1994 was due to the increase in alternative calling procedures such as callback, calling cards, home country direct and international simple resale, said the Union. Growth in the telecommunications sector overall is accelerating, at the end of 1994, there were around 703m telephone access points worldwide, including 55m cellular subscribers. However, according to the union, waiting lists for telephone services continue to grow. The number of cellular subscribers worldwide grew 61.3% during 1994, compared with only 6.7% for fixed link. Almost a dozen emerging economies – mainly in Central Asia, the Pacific and Africa – began cellular services in 1994. Asia was the fastest-growing region, with China contributing almost a quarter of the world’s new telecommunications lines. Equipment and service revenues worldwide reached around $672,000m in 1994, up 9.1% on the previous year. Japan’s Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp remained the top service provider, with profits quadrupling. US carriers increased their share of global traffic to 25%.
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