Global revenues from mobile data services surpassed US$100bn for the first time last year according to data sourced from the latest edition of Informa Telecoms & Media's World Cellular Data Metrics. The figure of US$102.1bn is equal to US$52.9 per every mobile subscription throughout the year or US$4.4 per month. Strong data revenue growth has continued into 2006, with the 1Q figure of US$28.4bn up 17% year-on year. "The industry is comfortably on track to exceed last year's record total," commented Kester Mann, Senior Research Analyst with Informa. "Data revenues continue to be driven by the ongoing deployment of advanced technologies, improvements in handsets and global subscription growth."

Putting the 2005 figure into perspective, it is on a par with the combined fees paid so far by European operators for 3G licences (US$102.3bn according to Informa Telecom & Media's World Cellular Information Service). Or put another way, it is greater than the entire GDP for New Zealand in 2005 (US$94.6bn according to the CIA World Factbook).

NTT DoCoMo continues to generate the highest non-voice revenues, based on data for 114 operators tracked. Its total of US$2.5bn for 1Q06 compares to second-placed operator China Mobile (US$1.9bn) with Japanese rival KDDI US$1.5 billion in third. Three US operators (Verizon Wireless, Cingular Wireless and Sprint Nextel) recorded data revenues above US$800mn, while the leading European operator was O2 UK (US$570mn).