In the beginning, there were statistics.
CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent opened the CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment conference in San Francisco by outlining the state of the industry in the association's mid-year data survey, noting that total six-month revenues topped out at $72.7 billion and data service revenues accounted for nearly $15 billion of that as of June 2008.
In an industry in the midst of a transfer to 3G network technologies and with 86 percent market penetration, Largent described a period of continued growth. The number of wireless customers in the United States now stands at 262.7 million, up 7.9 percent from 243.4 million as of mid-year 2007, and up 2.9 percent from 255.4 million at the end of 2007.
The total service revenue figure was a record, up 7.1 percent from $67.9 billion in June of last year. Data revenue, at $14.78 billion, accounted for 20.3 percent of all total revenue. The average local monthly bill was $48.54, down 28 percent from $49.94 as of June 2007, a continuing trend in the U.S., where monthly bills have consistently been lower than those for customers in Europe.
In another contrast with Europe, Largent pointed out that the U.S. adoption of 3G network technology outpaced that of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
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