Report: U.S. phone sales up 14 percent

According to a recent report from the NPD Group, U.S. phone sales reached 33 million units in the second quarter, which totaled about $2.4 billion in consumer sales, a 14 percent increase from the second quarter last year. The number of units sold, however, represents a 17 percent decline from the first quarter of this year, but NPD says that is typical for the slow summer period. The group found that carrier stores continue to dominate the market with 62 percent of sales, followed by mass merchandisers and department stores with 9 percent and electronic specialty stores with 5 percent. Because of promotional rebates, about 28 percent of handsets sold in the U.S. were free during the second quarter, while an additional 28 percent cost less than $50.

For more statistics from NPD:
- check out this press release