Latin America now second-largest mobile region in the world: report

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Latin America has overtaken Western Europe to become the world's second-largest mobile region.

Around 15 million new mobile connections were made in the Americas during the second quarter of 2010, making a total of 530 million mobile connections in the region.

"In recent quarters, Latin American mobile operators have increased their marketing and technological investments, which have had a positive impact on connections growth," said Joss Gillet, senior analyst at mobile market research group Wireless Intelligence in a report released on October 1.

"This has also led to increased demand for new data services in the region. Compared to the more saturated European markets, the Americas region still has plenty of room for growth."

Western Europe has become the most saturated mobile region in the world, with more mobile phone connections than people. Western Europe dropped from 520 million in the first quarter of the year to 515 mobile connections in the second quarter.

With more than 2.4 billion mobile connections, the Asia-Pacific region remains the world's largest mobile region. It accounts for approximately 47 percent of global mobile connections.