According to a new 5,600 household survey from Forrester Research, household mobile phone penetration reaches 67 percent. Single-phone households are currently a declining minority, and households with four or more mobile phones have grown at a rate of 57 percent in the past year.

Summary of the report

• Post-consolidation, the top three mobile carriers will own seven out of 10 mobile households: Cingular (28 percent), Verizon (27 percent), and Sprint/Nextel (15 percent).
• Despite a move by providers to add features like digital cameras and color screens to their phones, consumers' priorities when purchasing a phone have not shifted in the past two years. Basic features like price, battery life, and ease of use continue to be most important features to consumers. Less than one in 10 subscribers says that a camera is important in their phone purchase decision.
• While basic features are most important to consumers when choosing a phone, wireless data functions, such as the ability to access email and share photos, are becoming increasingly important. Twenty percent of consumers say that having data capabilities is important when purchasing a new phone a 39 percent increase over 2002.
• In 2004, the youngest age category in Forrester's survey (18 to 24 years) surpassed 25- to 34-year-olds as the age group that is most likely to have a mobile phone. The only age group below 50 percent penetration for mobile phones is the 65 and older age group.
• Prepaid users have doubled in the past two years, reaching close to 11 percent of mobile phone consumers in 2004.