50 Wireless Quick Facts I

Home » Advocacy » Research » 50 Wireless Quick Facts I

U.S. WIRELESS INDUSTRY: ECONOMIC IMPACT

1. Since CTIA started tracking in 1985, the cumulative industry investment has totaled more than $322 billion, not including more than $40 billion in payments to the U.S. Treasury for spectrum.1

2. 4G wireless network investments could mean investments of $25 billion to $53 billion between 2012 and 2016, bringing between $73 billion and $151 billion in gross domestic product growth and between 371,000 and 771,000 jobs.2

3. Wireless broadband investment will create as many as 205,000 jobs by 2015.3

4. For every $1 invested in wireless broadband, it will create an additional $7-10 for GDP.4

5. Consumers spend >$63 billion/year in the world on wireless accessories (cases, batteries, memory cards, hands-free kits, headsets, etc).5

6. Mobile entertainment content and services (games, music, social media, etc) revenue projected to increase from $33.2 billion in 2010 to $38.4 billion in 2011.6

7. Businesses spent more than $1.9 billion in 2010 on non-handsets (e.g. tablets, notebooks, e-readers); by 2014, it will be more than $5 billion on non-handsets.7

8. Wireless economic contributions have grown faster (16%) than the rest of the economy (3%).8

9. The wireless industry directly/indirectly employs >2.4 million Americans.9

10. Estimates of productivity gains from wireless broadband services are >$860 billion from 2005-2016.10

11. U.S. has the highest minutes of use (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.11

12. Wireless jobs paid >50% higher than the national average of other production workers.12

13. In 2010, U.S. providers reported making capital investments totaling $24.9 billion, which was more than the providers in the 5 largest European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK) spent combined ($17.9 billion, 2009).13

Last Updated: November 2011

Click here for footnotes
1 CTIA's Wireless Industry Indices: Semi-Annual Data Survey Results, A Comprehensive Report from CTIA Analyzing the U.S. Wireless Industry, Mid-Year 2011 Results, to be released November2011.

2 Deloitte Study, "The Impact of 4G Technology on Commercial Interactions, Economic Growth and U.S. Competitiveness", available at: http://www.deloitte.com/us/impactof4g.

3 Robert Crandall and Hal Singer, "The Economic Impact of Broadband Investment," March 2010, at 3.

4 Larry Summers, "Technology Opportunities, Job Creation, and Economic Growth," Remarks at the New America Foundation, June 28, 2010. Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/nec/speeches/technological-opportunities-job-creation-economic-growth.

5 IBID

6 Press Release, "Mobile Entertainment Market to Grow by 15% in 2011 Despite Global Economic Uncertainty, Juniper Report Finds", available at http://www.juniperresearch.com/viewpressrelease.php?id=285&pr=238 (last accessed May 18, 2011).

7 "US Business Non-Handset Wireless Spending to Surpass $5 Billion by 2014, Says In-Stat", m2m.com available at http://m2m.tmcnet.com/news/2011/03/21/5389813.htm (last accessed May 18, 2011).

8 Glenn Campbell, Global Wireless Matrix 1Q11: Recovery is done; smartphone surge continues, Bank of America Merrill Lynch at 14 (Apr. 28, 2011).

9 CTIA's Wireless Industry Indices: Semi-Annual Data Survey Results, A Comprehensive Report from CTIA Analyzing the U.S. Wireless Industry, Year-End 2010 Results, released May 2011.

10 Ovum Wireless Report

11 Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, "Global Wireless Matrix 1Q11" at Tables 1-2.

12 "The Wireless Services Sector: A Key to Economic Growth in America," Harold Furchtgott-Roth.

13 Semi-Annual Survey and Campbell, Glen. Global Wireless Matrix 4Q10- What's in store for 2011. Bank of America Merrill Lynch, 2010.