Verizon Wireless is the top data dog in the US, according to market watcher IDC.
New research revealed that the operator’s customers spent $7.27 oer month on data services in Q3 2006, eclipsing Sprint Nextel, the former leader with $7.15. IDC says more than 229 million US subscribers spend an average of $6 per month on data services, contributing $4.1 billion in revenue for Q3 2006. Messaging contributed nearly half the data revenue, while content and application downloads came to about 12 per cent.
Within the content category, ringtones remain most popular. Indeed, IDC claims 20 per cent of US subs buy at least one a quarter. IDC predicts ringtone sales will approach 1 billion by 2010, up from about 430 million this year. For now mastertones are rising in popularity, contributing more than half of all ringtones sold today.
IDC believes new distribution channels will keep tones and content products growing in the coming years. Julien Blin, research analyst for IDC's wireless and mobile communications programme, said: “Strategies and technologies such as super-distribution, enhanced mobile search, music recognition, and bundles are likely to become important elements in the market."
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