Americans Are Hanging Up Their Landlines

There are already more mobile devices in the U.S. than there are men, women and children. And
there seems to be no end to consumers growing appetite for handheld devices such as
smartphones, tablets and feature phones. In fact, by the end of this year there will be more
mobile devices on the planet than there are people, according to a report by Ciscos Visual
Networking Index Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update. The market for smartphones has
reached the saturation point in the U.S. The CTIA-The Wireless Association, which tracks
mobile use, reveals that wireless penetration has reached 102.2 percent with 326.4 million
mobile devices in the U.S. That number has been growing every year, up from 316 million in
2011 and 255.4 million in 2007. Weve seen a distinct shift away from such communication
modes as landlines and desktop computers mainly because mobile devices have become more
economical and convenient than landlines. Nearly two in every five homes or 38.2 percent of
Americans are living in a household that only uses mobile phones and that number appears to be
ticking up roughly two points every six months, according to the Centers for Disease Controls
National Health Interview Study (NHIS) conducted during the second half of 2012. While not
surprising, the results reveal a significant increase in wireless use. Of the more than 20,000
households interviewed, nearly one of every six homes or 15.9 percent received all or nearly all
calls on Wireless site acquisitions, despite also having a landline. On the other hand, the number
of adults with a landline but no mobile phone has decreased. Although it may be hard to find
anyone who doesnt own a mobile device its not impossible. Clearly, younger people are quicker
to opt for wireless devices. The percentage of people going wireless steadily decreases as age
increases, according to NHIS figures. Only 28.4 percent of those aged 45-64 were totally
wireless, and just 11.6 percent of those aged 65 and over. Evidently, seniors tend to hold onto
their low-tech landlines. But overall, every age segment has been steadily seeing increases in
wireless only usage. The CDC study, including many more statistics, can be found at their CDC
website. Cisco also predicts that the growth of mobile devices will increase 13 fold by 2017. The
statistics are staggering; claiming that by 2017 there will be 10 billion mobile-connected devices,
including machine-to-machine (M2) modules, exceeding the worlds population at that time of
7.6 billion. Mobile devices have become an integral part of our everyday lives. To meet the
growing demand and to continually improve service, wireless providers must identify markets,
and proliferate the market area with their cell sites. At CW Solutions, Right of way leasing for
utilities we provide telecommunications expertise on site acquisition, leasing, title, permitting
and zoning to benefit the wireless communications needs of the public and the carriers who
provide coverage in that market area.