91% of US 17-year-old girls have mobile phones

(27/08/2008)

In 2007, 91% of US 17-year-old girls had cellphones whereas only 78% of US 17-year-old boys had cellphones according to a recent study by MultiMedia Intelligence. The difference is quite striking as there is little difference in handset ownership between the genders at age 13, with 57 percent of teenagers having cellphones.

Not only is the net difference in the gains between the genders quite striking, but also the manner in which the gains are made. When one segments teenage girls by age, one sees steady gains in cellular owners by segment. However, teen male segments see strong ownership gain at two particular ages: at age 13 and at age 16.

In 2006, 13 year old teen boys with cellphones accounted for about one million subscribers, over 40% higher than the 12 year old teen boy segment. Likewise, the number of 16 year old teen boy cellular subscribers in 2007 numbered over 1.6 million, almost 30% higher than the 15 year old teen boy group. By comparison, the difference between 16 year old and 15 year old teen girls was only 6%.

Key findings regarding teen wireless subscribers include:
· The US 12-17 teen cellular subscribers surpassed 16 million in 2007. This is up 12% from 2006.
· By 2012, the number of teen subscribers will reach 17 million, a delta of only 1 million subscribers from 2007. Wireless penetration rates for teens are reaching saturation, resulting in stagnating growth. Since the teen market is not a multiple handset demographic, subscriber growth is forced to slow.
· Subscriber growth is seasonal, with Q3 and Q4 the stronger quarters.
· The Hispanic teen market has become significant, projected to approach 3 million subscribers by 2012.

"The teen market is an especially appealing market for two reasons. First, it is a primary source of new subscribers for carriers. Second, teens teach older demographic how to use their handsets, " according to Frank Dickson, Chief Research Officer with MultiMedia Intelligence. "However, the differences in the cellphone consumption patterns among the teen segments are remarkable and need to be noted. Targeting teens at the right age and gender is critical to maximize subscriber gains. Targeting teens at the wrong age and not considering gender will cause operators to miss the boat."

Related categories:  Teenagers 

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