Wireless Industry Innovation: 'We're #1'

[Commentary] The United States wireless industry is the best. Now here are the facts that prove it:

• Lowest revenue per minute of OECD countries. Unless otherwise indicated, these facts are from Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
• Average revenue per minute is nearly 70% lower than the averages of the other 25 countries.
• Average revenue per minute is nearly 70% lower than the average European country.
• At the end of 2010, the average revenue per minute in the U.S. was $0.04.
• Across Europe’s developed countries, the average revenue per minute was $0.13.
• As a result, the average wireless consumer in Europe used just 172 minutes a month compared to 793 minutes a month for the U.S.
• Most minutes of use (MOUs) – 2.24 trillion MOUs in 2010 (or 6.1 billion MOUs per day), according to CTIA's semi-annual survey.
• Highest MOUs per month per user and the lowest average revenue per minute of service of the 26 OECD countries tracked by Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
• Largest mobile data market.
• Most mobile Internet users than any other country, according to Nielsen Mobile.
• Adoption of wireless Web, accounting for 29.3% of all mobile Web surfing.
• 3G technology has been deployed to more than 98% of the U.S. population, according to the FCC 14th Annual Report and Analysis of Competitive Market Conditions.
• Even though the U.S. population is less than 5% of the world's total population according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Informa Telecoms & Media Group says the total U.S. subscribership is less than 6% of the world's total wireless subscribers. Yet the U.S., according to Informa, is home to more than 164 million global 3G and 4G subscribers (or approximately 20%).