Communication squared

So I'm definitely not among the average user of communication electronics. Neither is the coworker with whom I discussed this recently-released statistic: Cellular/wireless plans/devices in the U.S. now outnumber the population they serve.

"Connected devices with wireless subscriptions rose to 327.6 million in the second quarter, according to a new report from wireless industry association CTIA. That represents a 9% increase since the same period last year. The U.S. population currently clocks in at 312.4 million, the U.S. Census Bureau said."

And you thought population was growing fast.

I initially had a hard time wrapping my mind around this one because I tend to think, perhaps correctly, that there is still a significant portion Americans that don't carry a cell phone around everywhere. But, even if that was true, there's so many mitigating factors: 1) The number of kids staying in touch now. 2) The number of people with multiple plans. 3) The number of businesses/organizations that keep X number of plans available for employee use at all times (perhaps saving money).

Maybe I'm just too much of a rural-dweller to realize just how ubiquitous connectivity is to the vast majority of people who live in the nation's urban centers.