Cell Phone Ownership Grows
- by March 18, 2002
The study shows Houston leads the nation with almost three-fourths (74%) of adults owning a cellular phone. Other cities that have a high concentration of cell phone ownership are Atlanta (73%), Honolulu (70%), Miami (69%) and Dallas (69%) - all above the national average.
Ranking on the low end with the least percentage of wireless adults are Roanoke, Va. (49%); Albany, N.Y. (49%); Wilkes-Barre, Penn. (46%); Buffalo, N.Y. (45%) and Charleston, W. Va. (39%).
Scarborough's market trending data shows that in 1999, slightly less than half (48%) of American adults owned a cell phone. In 2000, more than half (55%) of U.S. adults owned a cell phone and in the latest 2001 study, cell phone penetration numbers are up to 62%. All indicators demonstrate that the numbers will continue to grow since nine percent of American adults plan to purchase a cell phone in the next year.
“Overall, it is clear that wireless phone penetration continues to increase but what is important to note is the variance by local market,” said Alisa Joseph, vice president of advertiser marketing services, Scarborough Research. “While some local markets have extremely high penetration for wireless users, other cities rank well below the national average for cell phone ownership. For the wireless industry, this points to a need to target these consumers where they live, work, socialize and commute. A targeted local campaign or wireless service package designed specifically around local market dynamics is essential to reach current and untapped customers.”
This study also examined the average amount spent on monthly cellular bills. In the past month, more than one-third of cell phone owners (41%) paid more than $50, while almost a quarter (23%) paid more than $75 for their cellular service. In addition, the study shows a correlation between the amount of time spent commuting and the size of wireless phone owners' cell phone bills. Cellular phone owners who commute an hour or more are 66% more likely to have a cell phone bill of $150 or more.
The Wireless Adult
The wireless adult is tech-savvy with almost three quarters (72%) accessing the Internet and two-thirds (66%) using email. Almost a third (31%) shop online and close to a quarter (21%) play games online. Cell phone users are 25% more likely than the average adult to pay bills online and 22% more likely to purchase items or services while surfing the Web.
Cellular phone owners tend to be slightly more female (52%) than male (48%), age 25-54 (64%), married (59%) and over a quarter (27%) of cellular households have two or more children. The cell phone consumer is affluent with 71% owning their own home. In addition they are 26% more likely than the average adult to have a household income of $75,000+.
