A mobile phone is a portable telephone that connects to public mobile telephone service using cellular technology. A smartphone is one kind of mobile phone: it also supports internet-based services and runs applications through an application-capable operating system. Not every mobile phone has those smart capabilities or is used to access the internet.
What is a mobile phone?
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) defines a mobile cellular telephone as “a portable telephone subscribing to a public mobile telephone service using cellular technology, which provides access to the PSTN.” PSTN means the public switched telephone network. The definition covers both analogue and digital cellular systems. The ITU’s handbook is the institutional source for this definition.
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In practical terms, a mobile phone lets its user make or receive calls through a cellular service while away from a fixed telephone connection. The definition concerns the phone’s connection to mobile telephone service; it does not require every phone to include the same extra hardware or functions.
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The basic use is portable telephone connectivity through a cellular service. Depending on the device and service, people may also use a phone for internet-based services and applications. Those additional uses are associated with smartphones, but they are not guaranteed by the term “mobile phone.”
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A person may own a phone used only for calls, or have a limited subscription that does not provide internet use. For that reason, owning a mobile phone does not by itself show that a person uses the internet. ITU’s 2025 facts and figures distinguishes mobile-phone ownership from internet-use measures.
What is the difference between a mobile phone and a smartphone?
“Mobile phone” is the broader category. A smartphone is a mobile handset with smart capabilities, including internet-based services, and an operating system that can download and run applications, including third-party apps. The ITU’s definition also describes smartphones as performing many functions of a computer. The ITU handbook provides this definition.
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| Type | Cellular calling | Internet-based services | Application-capable operating system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile phone generally | Connects to public mobile telephone service using cellular technology. | Not guaranteed; some phones or subscriptions are used for calls only. | Not required by the general definition. |
| Smartphone | A mobile handset. | Has smart capabilities that include internet-based services. | Can download and run applications, including third-party applications. |
Feature phone is a common label for a mobile phone that is not a smartphone, but capabilities vary by model. The useful distinction is whether the device provides internet-based smart services and an operating system capable of running apps—not whether it has any particular camera, navigation feature, or wireless standard.
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No. A mobile phone may be used only for calls, and internet access also depends on the service available to the user. ITU notes that phones can be calls-only and that phone ownership should not be treated as proof of internet use. Its 2025 facts and figures reports these measures separately.
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How many people have mobile phones?
ITU reported that 82 per cent of people aged 10 or older worldwide owned a mobile phone in 2025. In the same year, it estimated 9.2 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions, equivalent to 112 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. These figures describe different things: ownership is about people, while subscriptions count accounts or connections. One person can have multiple subscriptions, and subscriptions can also belong to connected devices. ITU’s 2025 facts and figures provides the figures and cautions about their interpretation.
For another reference point, ITU reported 112 mobile-cellular subscriptions and 95 mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2024. A mobile-broadband subscription is not a count of people who own phones or use the internet. The ITU’s 2024 facts and figures reports those subscription rates.
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ITU’s indicators draw on public information from regulators, ministries and operators; where direct data are unavailable, the organization makes estimates. ITU’s statistics methodology explains the approach.
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What do mobile phone statistics measure?
- Phone ownership: people who own a mobile phone. A phone may be shared, and a person may own more than one.
- Mobile-cellular subscriptions: subscriptions per person or population, not unique phone owners; multiple subscriptions and connected devices affect the total.
- Mobile-broadband subscriptions: a separate connectivity measure, not a count of smartphone owners or internet users.
- Internet use: whether people use the internet, which cannot be inferred from phone ownership alone.
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