Mobile data revenues are becoming more important as voice ARPU and revenue decline. With voice service commoditized, carriers are developing high-priced, data-inclusive premium mobile service bundles to create new revenue streams and foster differentiation.
The growing consumer appetite for on-the-go solutions is also driving the development and adoption of more intelligent, highly functional mobile handsets. In 2010, smartphone shipments reached almost 300 million units worldwide, with Apple selling over 47 million iPhones, almost doubling its sales in 2009.
Making voice calls is still the most common activity (for now) on mobile phones, but Parks Associates' data indicate 45% of U.S. broadband households upload photos from their mobile phones to the Internet and 29% watch online video on their mobile phones.
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