The cell phone revolution is happening now.
Everyone agrees that the cell phone has changed the way we live today. It is easy for everyone to own a cell phone today also. It does not cost much to keep them in service and they are cheap to buy. It has now happened before that so many people around the world have had their own phone number. Shockingly there are more cell phone owners than there are television or car owners. The US and Canada have about 75% penetration, while countries in Europe have 140%. It is perdicted that by the end of 2008 half the population in the world will own cell phones.
Where is cell phone proliferation growing the quickest? It might surprise you to know that the continent of Africa has the fastest growing market in the world, expanding at the rate of 100% every year. Vodafone recently studied African cell phone usage. The company, a network giant, found that Africans think cell phones lead to increased business and greater profits. In a continent where landline infrastructure is at a minimum, cell phones are the only way to communicate, the only way to do business. The same can be said for the rest of the developing world. China and India, two of the most heavily populated countries, are seeing numbers of new subscribers each month in excess of the total population of some countries in Europe.
There has grown a world wide love affair with the cell phone. Many people view them as an extension of their own personalities and identities. Cell phone customization has meant that cell phone handsets are as varied as the people who own them. This has been good news for the phone accessories industry. Ring tone companies in particular have seen major profits in line with the proliferation of the cell phone.
The cell phone is the most disposable of all technologies. Consumers will replace their handset on average every 18 months. Phones are carried around and get scuffed or broken easily but this does not account for the rate at which people will change their cell phone. Better explanations can be found in people simply growing tired of the phone and wanting to exchange it for a newer release. The desire to upgrade is in turn being fed by the cell phone manufacturers who are updating their models every year with ever increasing capability. Consumers are buying into this and changing their phones more frequently than ever.
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Who owns a cell phone is becoming less and less associated with class and income. Whether a person is rich or poor no longer is an indication of whether they are in possession of a cell phone. There have been reports of the world’s most disenfranchised people owning cell phones even if they own little else. In America there are many instances of homeless people owning cell phones and around the world even people deemed to be victims of famine, own perfectly functioning cell phones.
The cost of owning a cell phone keeps getting lower. In the last ten years the price of a handset has dropped fifty percent. The competition between companies is fierce with a variety of offers being made to attract consumers. Many who could not afford a cell phone now are able to buy used ones at a fraction of the cost.
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