(Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
By Wailin Wong and Zoe Galland | American
mobile phone users are talking, texting and surfing the Web more than
ever, according to new data from CTIA, the association for the U.S.
wireless industry.
The CTIA’s latest semi-annual industry survey showed that in the last
half of 2009, consumers used more than 1.1 trillion minutes, up 38
billion from the same period in 2008. That amounts to 6.1 billion
minutes per day. Consumers also sent almost 5 billion text messages per
day in the last half of 2009. In its news release, CTIA did not offer a
comparative figure for text messaging. But the association did say that
the number of multimedia messages — those that contain a picture or
video — more than doubled on the year.
Consumption of wireless data continues to rise. The CTIA counted more than 257 million data-capable devices in circulation at the end of 2009, compared with 228 million a year earlier. Carriers saw revenues from data services jump 25.7 percent on the year to more than $22 billion, representing more than 28 percent of total revenues.
Total wireless service revenues increased just slightly, from $75 billion to $77 billion. Industry analysts have said that carriers may soon introduce new pricing plans, including tiered pricing for data users, because revenues are not keeping pace with consumers’ voracious data consumption.
Some politicians and technology experts have criticized the wireless
carriers for charging for text messages in the first place. In June
2009, Senator Herb Kohl (D-Wis) noted that from 2006 to 2008, the price
of sending and receiving a text message among the four largest cell
phone carriers increased by 100 percent, from 10 to 20 cents per message. “The
four companies increased their text messaging prices in two steps,” Sen.
Kohl said. “First from 10 to 15 cents, and then from 15 to 20 cents,
within weeks or even days of each other.”
But, Sen. Kohl said,
“the cost to the phone companies to carry text messages is minimal,
estimated to be less than a penny per message, and has not increased.”
I think my teenage daughter and her friends account for about one-half of the 5 billion text messages noted in this article.
5 Billion text!!! and that is just the Sexting from the kids.
What about the rest of the people?
The 17-year-old girl who lives next door sends about 1 billion of those 5 billion daily messages,
I’m sure the kids in the CPS didn’t send any. Because they can’t read! They’re too busy eating nachos at lunch and learning how to become the next ACORN workers (see yesterday’s article about the Social Justice school).
News Flash:
It has been determined that three of these were important enough to have merit.
These people are a lot like obama, talk and talk yet
say nothing meaningful.
Just a little racist, Apple. There are some decent CPS schools where kids are motivated and parents are married and involved. 0 flags for you.
AuntBee,
PLEASE, please name two CPSs like that. minus 100 flags for you. Wishful thinking
tolldick-
Easy, that would be the consistently top schools in the state (all run by CPS). Since you want only two, we’ll start with Northside College Prep, Whitney Young, etc. etc. etc. The kids are alright. Just because they’ve advanced beyond “passing notes” in class like kids did during your good ole’ days doesn’t make em any less social. It just makes you a geezer.
Whatever your opinion about CPS kids, students shouldn’t have cell phones in class.
We now have a law that says you can’t text message and drive. That’s because texting is too distracting, and takes your concentration off of driving.
The same is true in school. Kids who are sitting in class and text messaging just aren’t paying attention to the class work.
Call me an old geezer if you want, but getting kids engaged in learning is tough enough without them getting messages from their BFFs every two minutes.
“Senator Herb Kohl (D-Wis) noted that from 2006 to 2008, the price of sending and receiving a text message among the four largest cell phone carriers increased by 100%, from 10 to 20 cents per message. “The four companies increased their text messaging prices in two steps,” Sen. Kohl said. “First from 10 to 15 cents, and then from 15 to 20 cents, within weeks or even days of each other.”
Senator, Are you going to go after the “nasty ol’ phone companies” now? Are they next on the Senate hit parade? You guys in Washington are doing a stand up job for us and I really appreciate it. While you’re at it, please tell McDonalds what they can charge me for a hamburger. Thx. -end sarcasm-
Senator, If you want to do something useful, start by enforcing regulations on the OTC deriviative market. You know, the same market that got us in our economic jamb; the same market that has tied up and wasted the wealth of foreign countries; the same market that Bernarke called “a safe place for investment firms to hedge their bets”. That would be beneficial. Of course, you would have to pull your colleagues out of the feeding trough first!
How was I racist? I know plenty of races that enjoy nachos and sign up for ACORN. If you have stereotypes, then I feel sorry for you. Xoxo
I’m proud to say that I don’t contribute a single one. As a college professor, I can tell you that texting has ruined the younger generation’s ability to use English well.
This story only confirms my belief that Americans are growing increasingly stupid and, in intellectual terms, learning to be comfortable while walking around on all fours.
Let’s say you were born in a time when the main source of communication between humans was texting. One day, somebody comes along with a new technology called the “telephone” that puts you in voice communication with others. Wouldn’t you expect society to dump texting in favor of something that requires far less time to get your point across?
No text tax yet? Too bad. It would probably balance a lot of government budgets.
1 billion of those texts were from Tiger Woods.
In order to receive an accurate quote for auto insurance personal information such as address, date of birth, drivers license number, and social security number are required. This is exactly the information identity thieves need to destroy your financial credibility. Another concern is unwanted solicitors contacting you. It is completely unnecessary to receive an accurate quote for your car insurance by submitting this information online. It does indeed make perfect sense to make contact with an insurance agent in person or on the telephone.When contacting an agent in person or on the phone be sure and ask a few questions of your own, such as, how long they have been in business, and how will they safeguard your personal information. If you don’t like the answers say thanks and hang up. If your reasonably confident with the person your speaking to then proceed. Another benefit of speaking with a “live” agent is your ability to ask questions and receive professional advice.