New Devices, IoT Apps, Unlimited Data Buoying Consumer Phone Interest, Deloitte Reports

Smartphone penetration in the U.S. reached 82 percent this year and 93 percent among 18-24-year-olds, Deloitte reported Friday. The strongest growth in ownership is the 55-and-older age group. Some 264 million Americans use their mobile phones 12 billion times daily, and handset usage and growth rates “matured after years of robust growth," said the consultant. Consumers are “fairly consistent” in the way they use smartphones, and interest has been buoyed by IoT-related apps and services, unlimited data plans and device upgrades, it said.