That number puts in a semi state of shock. Two-hundred fifty million? We remember when the population of the U.S. was around that number — and that wasn’t more than five years ago. Just 10 years ago, there were 48 million U.S. wireless subscribers, and about 20 years ago there were just over 200,000. The craziest part is that there is still plenty of room for growth.
The biggest opportunity for growth will come in the form of people ditching their landlines for a cell-phone-only lifestyle. This not only means a greater number of cell phone subscribers, but an increase in the level of service of each customer. And we know how cell carriers salivate over a higher average value per user.
And then you have the movement towards mobile broadband, which will surely up the average value per users — though not as much as you might think. Prices on mobile broadband figure to drop once carriers figure out how to monetize the medium in other ways. So while you’ll see more people, you’ll also see a lesser cost per user.
Why are we, along with the carriers, so optimistic about the future growth of the industry? It’s the inspiration of the past 10 or 12 years. We’ve seen the cell phone go from an emergency-only tool to an everyday, must-have device. We’ve seen this happen because of greater battery lives, the revolution of text messaging, free long distance, the mobile Internet, and innumerable other, smaller factors.
So as the cell phone becomes more of a staple of everyday life, so will come the growth opportunities. They’re infinitely out there.
Share this Post
Subscribe and Follow
Subscribe to the Going Cellular feed via RSS and follow Going Cellular on Twitter!
{ 0 comments… add one now }