Hispanic Teens Growing as Important Wireless Consumer: Report

U.S. Hispanic teenagers are becoming an increasingly important segment of wireless consumers, accounting for a subscriber growth rate of two to three times that of the overall U.S. teen market over the next 5 years.

Those aged 12 to 17 represent 2.5 million subscribers, according to a report by MultiMedia Intelligence.

“Teens overall are a critical wireless market segment, as initial subscriber and handset relationships can establish lifelong purchasing patterns,” Frank Dickson, chief research officer for MultiMedia Intelligence, said in a statement. “Within the teen segment, Hispanic teens have unique wireless usage characteristics.”

Other findings include:

* Hispanic teens represent 16% of the overall U.S. teen market.

* By age 15, penetration of wireless services among U.S. Hispanic teens is 64%—by the age of 17, the penetration rate rises to 78%.

* The U.S. Hispanic teen is much more likely to use advanced telephony functions than other U.S. teens, but less likely to use their camera phone.

* Like the broader U.S. teen market, Hispanic teens ask their phones to do more, from text messaging to purchasing content and feature a higher overall average revenue per user.

This research was conducted in partnership with Experian. MultiMedia Intelligence is a market research and consultancy firm.