2023 Annual Survey Highlights

CTIA’s annual survey of key industry metrics finds that wireless networks support more data traffic than ever:

• Wireless Data Traffic Soars: 2022 was another record-breaking year for wireless data traffic, with the nation’s wireless networks supporting more than 73.7 trillion MB of traffic—20 trillion MB, or 38%, more than in 2021. This is the greatest increase in mobile data traffic ever and nearly double the year-over-year increase from 2020 to 2021.
• Record Wireless Investment: Wireless investment has increased for the fifth year in a row, with a historic $39 billion invested in wireless networks in 2022—up nearly 12% from last year’s previously record-setting total.
• More Connections for More 5G Devices: 5G adoption and use have exploded since its launch. By the end of 2022, the US had nearly 162 million active 5G devices—nearly double the number of 5G devices in 2021.
• 5G Home Broadband Offers New Competition and Consumer Savings: 5G is not only transforming our mobile use, but our lives at home. 5G home broadband coverage is growing at a breakneck pace, and it now covers more than 94 million households across the nation.
• Small Cells Support Enhanced Coverage: In 2022, there were more than 142,000 small cells operating across the US—a 13% increase over 2021.
• Wireless Brings Savings for Consumers: Wireless continues to offer consumers more for their dollar in a tightening economy. The cost per megabyte of data decreased by 98 percent from 2012 to 2022.
• Talking and Texting by the Trillions: Wireless consumers continue to robustly use wireless networks to connect through voice and text. In 2022, Americans spent nearly 2.5 trillion minutes on voice calls, a nearly 5% increase from 2021.