SAN FRANCISCO-African Americans and Latinos use their cellular phones most often, and young users across the board talk the most, according to an analysis of postpaid wireless customer bills by industry research firm Telephia.
Between the first and third quarters of 2005, monthly minutes of use grew 10 percent among blacks to 1,220 minutes; Hispanics posted faster growth at 13 percent, but only used an average of 979 minutes per month as of the third quarter. Caucasian customers used about 632 minutes in the third quarter, 9 percent more than they had in the first quarter, Telephia reported.
The analysis found that young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 use cellular phones most frequently, racking up more than 1,300 total voice minutes each month. They also sent and received an average of 126 text messages each month. The 25-34 year old demographic came in a distant second, using about 970 monthly minutes and logging 56 sent and received text messages. Adults over the age of 56 talked for an average of 441 minutes each month.
Tamara Gaffney, product director for Telephia, noted that Generation Y subscribers who use the most minutes had grown up with cellular phones in their daily life, but that their long-term user behavior remains to be seen.
“The question that still needs to be answered is whether their usage pattern is situational, because they are not tied down to a fixed line during most waking hours; or behavioral, as they have become accustomed to using cell phones and thus will continue being heavy users as they grow older,” Gaffney said.
