Living Without a Cellphone

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Roughly 30 million American adults don't own a cellphone. For the nation's big phone companies, the growing challenge is: How do you keep customers on high-cost contract plans as the weak economy puts pressure on household budgets?

Overall, cellphone ownership among American adults is around 88%, according to Pew Research Center surveys. In the past two years, there were some increases in cellphone ownership among the poor and the elderly. Subscribers don't appear to be dumping their plans in large numbers, and wireless carriers are betting that cellphone users will spend more and more for mobile Internet service in the years ahead. But, as devices like the iPhone and the pricey data plans that typically come with them continue to spread, some consumers are looking for ways to cut back. Low-cost prepaid cellphone plans have proven increasingly popular.


Living Without a Cellphone