Mobile data service revenues in the US topped €7.5 billion for the second straight quarter as the wireless data market grew 7% in Q2, a 30% year-over-year increase.
Research firm Chetan Sharma Consulting reports that Verizon Wireless and AT&T experienced the most quarterly growth, topping the 8% mark, followed by T-Mobile USA at 6%. Verizon's data revenues are now almost €2.8 billion per quarter, just behind longtime global leader NTT DoCoMo. AT&T and Verizon now represent 69% of US market data services revenues and 61% of the total subscriber base.
Chetan Sharma notes that the average industry percentage contribution of data to overall ARPU is now 27%, with the US market likely to close in on the 30% mark in 2009.
As of the end of the second quarter, 65% of all US subscribers now use some form of data services. Messaging volume grew 15% in Q2, and messaging revenue increased 11% Q1.
Subscribers now average nearly 540 messages per month, which translates to close to one message per hour per subscriber. Non-messaging services continue to represent between 50% and 65% of US operator data revenues.
"Given the strong growth in data revenues shown by the top carriers and the increase in service revenues overall, the worst is over for the US mobile industry," Sharma writes. "In summary, the recession has been all but a tiny blip in its growth trend and the US mobile market has weathered the downward spiral in economy better than its counterparts in other developed nations."
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