The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) stated on Monday that the global subscriber base for mobile services will scale past the 5 billion mark in 2009 thanks to growth of smartphones as well as growing adoption of mobile services in poor countries.

By the end of 2009 there were 4.6 billion across the globe with mobile connections.

Broadband subscriptions alone are set to cross the one billion mark from the existing figures of 600 million.

"Even during an economic crisis, we have seen no drop in the demand for communications services," said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Toure. "I am confident that we will continue to see a rapid uptake in mobile cellular services in particular in 2010, with many more people using their phones to access the Internet," added Toure.

In the developing world, the growth has been driven by the use of phones for mobile banking and health services, the ITU said. "Good examples include sending reminder messages to patient''s phones when they have a medical appointment, or need a pre-natal check-up," Toure said.

"Or using SMS messages to deliver instructions on when and how to take complex medication such as anti-retrovirals or vaccines," he said, adding that such uses can save millions of dollars and lives.