US wireless data growth is slowing down despite record-breaking 159 trillion MB milestone

We see that Americans are using an enormous, bigger than ever and still-growing amount of mobile and wireless data, but the rate at which that usage is growing has clearly slowed down.

What the numbers say

There's another way of looking at it as well. Wireless data usage has increased by almost 60% in just two years and Americans consumed more wireless data in 2025 than they did throughout the entire 4G era. So the networks are clearly carrying dramatically more traffic than they were just a few years ago.

And CTIA expects that trend to continue. It forecasts wireless data demand could be four times higher by 2032, with AI becoming an increasingly important source of network traffic. According to the report, AI-related traffic is growing much faster than traditional wireless traffic and could eventually account for a significant share of broadband traffic.

So even if today's growth rate is somewhat slower, the amount of data networks have to handle is already enormous and AI will almost surely create another giant wave of demand.

More spectrum

Because the trend will continue, even if it's somewhat slower, the wireless industry needs more licensed spectrum (and more physical infrastructure) to handle the heavier data traffic.

US wireless providers spent almost $30 billion in 2025 expanding network capacity. Since the beginning of the industry, total investment in US wireless infrastructure has now passed $763 billion, with roughly one-third of that coming since the arrival of 5G in 2018.

The infrastructure isn't just traditional cell towers, either. The number of small cells has increased by almost 120% since 2018, and they now represent nearly 40% of wireless cell sites in the US. Small cells are essentially lower-power, shorter-range network equipment that can be deployed in places where traditional towers aren't practical.

It's not just phones and tablets

It's worth noting that smartphones and tablets aren't responsible for all this traffic. There are now well over 600 million wireless connections in the US (almost two for every person). Almost half (46%, to be precise) of devices connected to wireless networks are things such as smartwatches and other wearables, industrial sensors, robotics and similar connected devices.

Fixed wireless broadband is another major contributor. For the fourth consecutive year, CTIA says virtually all net growth in the US home broadband market came from fixed wireless services. Almost 16 million Americans now subscribe to 5G Home Internet, with more than 3.9 million new subscribers added in 2025.