According to a new report from IDC, US wireless data generated $1.6 billion in revenue for carriers during the fourth quarter of last year. Wireless data accounted for 5.8 percent of the wireless industry's ARPU. IDC predicts that wireless data's share of industry-wide ARPU will grow 15 percent in the next few years. Messaging applications, like SMS and mobile email, accounted for 50 percent of total wireless data revenues. Sprint remained the US wireless data leader, with 10 percent of its $61 ARPU coming from data services. Cingular Wireless claimed 7.5 percent of its ARPU from wireless data, while T-Mobile had 6.6. percent and Verizon Wireless had 6.1 percent. Nextel had the lowest percentage of wireless data in its ARPU numbers for a national carrier, claiming only 3.7 percent.
For more on the US wireless data market:
- check out this press release