U.S. Mobile Broadband Penetration Reaches Parity with Top European Countries

Though the rankings arguably are less important than most people think, the United States now has the same penetration of mobile broadband users as the top five countries in Europe, representing 64 million users, according to Havas Digital. In fact, U.S. mobile Internet penetration at 18 percent of mobile subscribers is higher than the United Kingdom and many other Western European countries.

 

You can credit the Apple iPhone (News - Alert) for the explosive growth of late. About 84 percent of iPhone users use email. Also, 82 percent browse news and information sites, while 59 percent use a news and information application or widget.

 

A surprisingly high 31 percent of iPhone users watch mobile video, compared to the five percent market average.

 

It took Apple two and a half months in 2007 to reach the one million units sold mark, while T-Mobile (News - Alert) says it has sold one million units in six months.

 

Over the last two years mobile broadband has grown at a 74 percent rate.

 

Messaging continues to gain traction through mobile devices, with 53 percent of American mobile subscribers using SMS, 26 percent using MMS, 15 percent using mobile email and 12 percent using instant messaging services.

 

Mobile video usage also is growing. Some 10.3 million Americans are watching mobile video. The penetration rate is still only about five percent of mobile users, compared to 50-percent or greater penetration in Japan and South Korea, though.