With costs for most household necessities continuing to climb, many of us are closely watching what is coming out of our wallets. Some good news? Affordable wireless service is something we can continue to confidently count on. Thanks to strong competition, record-high investments, and people like you standing up for smart wireless policy, we are seeing real, meaningful savings.
From the cost of our cellphones to the price of the plan, the numbers are dropping year after year. Since September 2024, the price of service plans has dropped 5 percent. This while the cost of smartphones are down 17 percent.
Fun fact: Do you remember your first personal smartphone? (Hint: It was probably around 2010.) The cost of an unlimited wireless plan has dropped by more than 65 percent.
Mobile Data Usage and Wireless Speeds Soar Together
While we’re taking a blast to the past of 2010, think about how differently we used our phones back then. Answering a call, paying per text, maybe viewing a map – but don’t let it run constantly or it will use up all of your data. Think back to travel in 2010. You printed directions, checked in at the counter and hoped plans didn’t change. Today, those same phones carry our daily lives. We video call family, stream news, navigate traffic in real time and stay connected wherever we are. When traveling, your phone is your boarding pass, your map, your hotel key and your connection to home.
It’s no surprise then that we use 341 times more mobile data than we used in 2010. In fact, 2024 marked the largest jump in data usage in history as Americans used 132 trillion megabytes of data.
Amazingly, however, even though we use more and the price per megabyte has actually decreased by 99 percent. Equally as impressive, the network has kept up. Wireless speeds are 157 times faster than they were in 2010. In 2024 alone, speeds were up by 46 percent, providing fast and reliable connections when it matters most.
This is just more proof that our phones have become an extension of ourselves, and a critical connection for everyday life. Wireless is giving us more value than ever, at the lowest prices yet.
5G Providing Affordable Options for the Underserved and Unserved
Affordable, reliable broadband should not be a luxury. For many, however, access has been out of reach, while others have been left with a limited choice in broadband providers.
Fixed Wireless Access—5G Home—is changing that reality, providing reliable and affordable connection without physical cables and a complicated installation that come from a cable provider. For the underserved and unserved, this expansion has created home broadband choice for 23 percent of rural households.
Wireless innovation is expanding access and lowering prices. That’s why 5G Home has become the technology choice for 99 percent of new subscribers. If you’re looking for more than your neighbor’s word, let’s call it skipping the Seinfeld “yada yada”, the Wall Street Journal says that introduction of 5G technology has dropped home broadband prices by 3 percent in 2025.
Join Us
With increased competition, competitive value, and constant innovation, wireless is paving the way in the affordability challenge. And your voice can make sure an affordable, reliable connection is here to stay. Be sure to sign up for ACTwireless email updates and learn more about how we are supporting sensible wireless policies together.
