180 Million Mobile Phone Users in US

The U.S. wireless phone market continued to grow at a rapid pace in 2004, ending the year with over 180 million wireless subscribers, up over 21 million from the year before. According to figures released at CTIA Wireless 2005, last year was the second best year in the history of mobile phones.

Normal phone calls are still the top use of phones in the United States; however, text messaging doubled in 2004 to 4.6 billion messages. "Today, more than 60 percent of Americans are using a wireless device to talk, send e-mail, take pictures, watch video and listen to music," CTIA CEO Steve Largent said to reporters. "It's not just a phone; it's a lifestyle tool."