US Mobile Phone Users Double-Dip
A new survey says 16 percent of US mobile phone subscribers have more than one phone, showing that the country is mimicking trends in other mature markets. Several countries in Europe have more than 100% mobile penetration, thanks to users that carry more than one phone — highlighting the propensity of some people to have both business and personal phones. With the rise of BlackBerrys and other e-mail devices, it’s becoming less uncommon for people to carry separate voice and data devices, while the differences in mobile coverage among US carriers also gives rise to people carrying multiple handsets for use in different areas.
Comments on “US Mobile Phone Users Double-Dip”
US Mobile Phone Users Double-Dip
100+% European mobile penetration is due to users having multiple SIM cards rather than multiple devices. One look at extreme cross-border roaming rates explains one aspect for this consumer behavior.
A much better indicator of national wireless penetration rates would be to use the usage penetration metric: MOU/POP (whether monthly or annually).
For example, if Germany has 90% of people with a mobile phone & MOU/sub averages 100/month, then usage penetration is 90 MOU/POP.
On the other hand, if USA has 67% of people with a phone & MOU/sub averages 600/month, then usage penetration is 400 MOU/POP — or 4.5X that of Germany!