Telecommunication revenues in 2016 represented on average 3 per cent of GDP in Africa and the Arab States, compared to 2 per cent in Asia and the Pacific and the Americas (excluding the United States and Canada), and less than 2 per cent in the CIS and Europe. Global retail telecommunication revenues declined by 5 per cent during the period, as mobile-cellular penetration crossed the 100 per cent mark in 2016. In parallel, the number of fulltime equivalent employees working for telecommunication operators declined by 6 per cent globally between 2014 and 2016. Fixed-mobile convergence, multi-play services and the race to deliver on the promise of smart societies, are gaining in importance in mature markets, where subscriptions and revenue growth are stalling.