In 2006 the market is forecast to reach a volume of 232 million subscribers, an increase of 78.5% since 2001, according to new figures from Datamonitor. The compound annual growth rate of the market for the period 2001-2006 is predicted to be 12.3%.
The US market is known to be less advanced than most European markets, largely due to the lack of a digital standard. The US has several digital standards such as GSM, CDMA and TDMA whereas Europe adopted GSM as a general standard early on in the development of the market.
This issue means that competing operators in the US are championing different technologies and has made it problematic for US mobile users to roam – even within their own nation – due to different standards that have been adopted.
Unlike other, more saturated markets, the US mobile market is still in its infancy and will therefore continue to experience strong growth. This is in contrast to some European markets where operators are seeking new ways to increase their customer base.
