Fully 52 percent of U.S. adult respondents live in households that have no landline telephones, according to GfK MRI. In 2010, the number of mobile-only homes was about 26 percent, GfK says.
As often is the case, trends start with younger consumers, then gradually also are adopted by older consumers. The proportion of senior citizens (ages 65+) in mobile-only households quadrupled over the past six years to 23 percent, while the figure for Millennials (born from 1977 to 1994) climbed to 71 percent from 47 percent.
After Millennials, Generation X (born 1965 to 1976) is the age group most likely to live in mobile-only households, at 55 percent. Some 40 percent of Baby Boomer (born 1946 to 1964)households are mobile-only.
Among ethnic and racial groups, adults of Hispanic or Latino origin or descent have the highest incidence of mobile-only behavior, with 67 percent reporting cell-only status. Other groups have roughly 50 percent incidence, with Asian Americans at 54 percent; whites, 51 percent; and African Americans, 50 percent.
Looking across regions of the US, the Northeast has the smallest concentration of cellphone-only households, at 39 percent. In other regions, levels of no-landline homes range from 53 percent (Midwest) to 57 percent (South).
You could--and will-get a robust argument about whether that means there is a shortage of mobile spectrum. Some researchers and nearly all supporters of satellite communications tend to argue there is, in reality, no shortage of mobile spectrum. Some might argue there likewise is no shortage of Wi-Fi spectrum.
It almost does not matter. Much more spectrum is coming. And among the reasons is that communications bandwidth now is viewed as essential to support economic growth. Among the likely future drivers is a shift of video consumption--the most bandwidth-intensive consumer application--to over-the-top internet delivery.
Most significantly, that consumption also is shifting to mobility.
No comments:
Post a Comment