US Mobile Data Services Increase 40% Year on Year

US trade association, CTIA has announced that wireless data service revenues for the first half of 2008 rose to US$14.8 billion. This represents a 40% increase over the first half of 2007, when data revenues totaled $10.5 billion.

Wireless data revenues now amount to 20% of all wireless service revenues, and represent money that consumers spend on non-voice services.

"These statistics prove that wireless service in todayÃ's marketplace means so much more to American consumers than just voice-calls," said Steve Largent, CTIA-The Wireless Association® President and CEO. "More and more people are using wireless devices to access the Internet, take photos, get directions, watch videos, download music and send text messages. But this is just the beginning. When wireless customers want even more from their handsets and networks, the industry will continue to respond, evolve, innovate, and deliver to meet this growing demand."

The survey also revealed that text messaging again set new records, with 75 billion messages reported in the month of June 2008 alone - about 2.5 billion messages a day. This represents an increase of 160% over the 28.8 billion messages reported in June 2007. Additionally, wireless subscribers continue to capture and send more pictures and other multi-media messages, more than 5.6 billion MMS messages in the first half of 2008 - almost as many as were sent in all of 2007.

As of June 2008, the industry survey recorded more than 262 million wireless users. This represents a year-over-year increase of nearly 20 million subscribers. The industryÃ's 12-month record for subscriber growth was reached in 2005, when 25.7 million new users came online.

Other highlights of the survey include: wireless customers using more than 1.12 trillion minutes in the first half of 2008, up 10.9% over the first half of 2007, and generating more than $72 billion in total wireless revenues in six months.

Posted to the site on 10th September 2008