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The increase -- 26 trillion MBs over 2022 -- comes as a growing
number of 5G wireless devices are being used, said wireless
industry association CTIA that represents major wireless
carriers like Verizon, AT&T, T Mobile and technology firms.
The total number of wireless connections rose to 558 million
last year, up 6% over 2022, the survey found.
Demand for spectrum use is soaring, driven in part by more
wireless use in advancements including drones, self-driving
vehicles, space missions and precision agriculture.
The survey said the number of minutes Americans spent talking on
the phone fell slightly from 2.5 trillion in 2022 to 2.4
trillion in 2023 and text messages were about the same at 2.1
trillion in 2023 over the prior year.
The rise in wireless comes amid a standoff in Congress over how
to find new spectrum.
Congress in March 2023 let the Federal Communications
Commission's authority to auction spectrum lapse for the first
time in three decades amid debate about what spectrum used by
the Defense Department could be repurposed or shared.
"There is no pipeline of spectrum for 5G," said CTIA CEO
Meredith Attwell Baker. "To continue to meet the insatiable
demand for wireless, drive innovation, and support America’s
economic competitiveness, the wireless industry needs access to
more full-power, licensed spectrum."
The Biden administration announced steps in November 2023 aimed
at freeing up additional wireless spectrum by repurposing
spectrum currently set aside for parts of the federal government
but has come under fire from Republicans for not moving fast
enough.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Emelia
Sithole-Matarise)
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