2017
Deloitte: As Smartphone Penetration Hits 82%, Wireless Industry Thrives
A new report from Deloitte LLP confirms the popularity of smartphones and the health of the wireless industry. Americans as a whole use their mobile phones 12 billion times a day, according to researchers. Additionally, smartphone penetration has reached 82 percent (93 percent for the 18-24 age group).
Deloitte LLP published the results in its Global Mobile Consumer Survey.
Smartphone Penetration
The survey also found that smartphone usage and growth rates for both devices and apps have matured after years of robust growth, and most Americans not only own smartphones but are fairly consistent in the way they use them. Conversely, what is growing is consumer interest in a range of exciting “internet of things” related applications and services and the industry has done a strong job of keeping consumer interest high in the potential of internet of things and 5G networks, as well as unlimited data plans and device upgrades, according to a press release announcing the results.
“Even as smartphone use begins to mature, we may be on the precipice of the next generation of mobile, as IoT applications and services capture consumer interest and the global race to 5G takes hold,”said Craig Wigginton, Deloitte vice chairman and telecommunications sector leader, in a prepared statement. “It’s an incredibly exciting time for both the mobile ecosystem and consumers as we anticipate this next wave of innovation that will further change the way we live and work across generations.”
Among the survey’s other findings:
- Though subsidies have gone away, nearly two-thirds of consumers are still replacing their phones every two years.
- Retail stores are still important. Nearly seven in 10 (63 percent) of consumers have visited a carrier store in the last year, with 20 percent going in the last month.
- More than nine in 10 people (91 percent) use text message services at least once a week.
- Voice usage is up 9 percent from the 2016 Deloitte survey, reversing a four-year downward trend, with 86 percent of respondents saying they make a voice call weekly.
To read the entire article please click here: Source: Telecompetitor
