It’s Official: Americans Spend More On Data Than Voice Calls On Their Mobile Phones

Posted on Mar 21 2014 - 3:48pm by Editor

In today’s technological switched-on age, we rely heavily on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to keep us up-to-date on what’s happening in the world.

These devices prove to be vital resources in the 21st century, and with the advances on mobile broadband technology meaning that we are now able to go online at speeds perhaps faster than our home or office landline-based connections, we can do virtually all of the things we could on traditional desktop and laptop computers on our smartphones and tablets instead!

Voice Calls

So it comes as no surprise that a consultancy firm recently reported that, in the United States, people tend to be using mobile data more than they do voice calls! According to statistics collated by Chetan Sharma Consulting, revenue from mobile data services reached USD $90 billion for the fourth quarter of 2013, and that this figure represents more than 50% of all mobile revenue.

Mr. Sharma also goes on to say that he predicts that the United States will be the first nation in the world to bring in revenues of more than USD $100 billion for just mobile data and that the 2013 figures already represent a “milestone in the evolution of the industry”.

Why are Americans using data more than voice?

There are actually a number of reasons why folks in the United States are using data connections on their mobile phones rather than making voice calls to other people, but the main one is down to convenience.

Given that the vast majority of smartphone users set up email accounts on their handsets, it enables people to send and receive emails wherever they are in the world and means that they don’t need to wait until they reach their homes or offices to respond to messages, or send new ones out.

Network operators typically have strict policy enforcement when it comes to setting up monthly usage quotas; this means consumers will typically pay more money for going out of voice allowances than they would for data, so this is probably another reason why people tend to rely on Internet-based communication methods rather than voice calls if they are heavy mobile users.

Sticking with the convenience theme, IP messaging apps such as WhatsApp make it easy for people to communicate with other around the world for a fraction of the price that it would cost if they phoned each other, especially if the people concerned are not based in the same country. These apps allow people to send images and videos in their conversations, and is often a quicker and more-convenient option to email.

What others are saying and doing in the technology world

Here is a selection of what other technology firms have to say or are planning to do, on the subject of consumers using data more than voice on their mobile phones:

  • Verizon and T-Mobile are going to launch Voice over LTE, which enables consumers to make calls using mobile broadband connections;

  • Cisco have said that by 2018, people will be uploading more files using their smartphones than they would have done using their laptops in 2013;

  • Deutsche Bank Media say that more revenue will be generated from additional mobile data plans as demand grows.