The U.S. cellphone subscriber base is growing at a fast rate despite concerns of market saturation. The industry association CTIA estimates that more than 250 million cellphones are in active use. As of November 13, the subscription number is estimated at 250,015,929 cellphones.

While the market penetration rate in the U.S. has now passed the 80% mark, the U.S. still trails many other countries, especially in Asia-Pacific and large parts of Western Europe. For example, Luxembourg was estimated at a market penetration of about 141% in early 2006. However, growth in subscribership has been accelerating and has more than quadrupled over the past ten years from just over 55 million at year-end 1997 to more than 250 million today.

According to the FCC, there is nearly complete cellphone coverage in the U.S., with 98% of Americans being able to choose service from at least four providers. The FCC also said that almost 22 million Americans are currently using mobile broadband services.