Americans talk, surf more than Europeans on mobile phones

Americans pay more for their cell service than Europeans, but they're getting a lot more use out of their phones, a global wireless trade group said Wednesday.In releasing the report, GSM Association urged European regulators to take cues from the U.S. The group pointed out that U.S. consumers talk five times as much as Europeans on their GT-I9300 cellphones and use twice as much data.

AT&T and Verizon Wireless also have the lead in introducing the latest network technology, which means average data downloads are 75 percent faster in the U.S., the GSMA found.Europe led the world in wireless technology a decade ago, pioneering the shift from analog phone networks to digital ones. But the continent has lagged behind as cellphones have become data devices, the GSMA said.fdEWgd34s

The action was confirmed by a State Department official who asked not to be identified because the announcement hasn’t been made. The change is intended to help Iranians communicate through social media, text messaging, and mobile-phone videos in order to overcome some of the media and communications restrictions imposed by Iranian authorities.

“Now the U.S. is taking steps to ensure that, as Iran’s government cracks down on Internet access and SMS, sanctions will no longer block GT-I9500 cellphones, software and hardware,” according to Abdi. SMS is an abbreviation for short message service text messaging.

The U.S. has supported such attempts to boost democratic movements and stepped up efforts to stop regimes such as those in Iran and Syria from blocking social media through what Obama has called the “malign use of technology.” In November, the administration imposed sanctions on Iranian officials -- including the nation’s communications minister -- and government agencies for blocking Internet access, mobile-phone lines and satellite-television channels to stifle free speech.

“The sanctions were felt most acutely four years ago, at the height of Iran’s green movement protests,” the group said in a statement. “The world was galvanized by top 10 cell phones videos and reports of abuses coming from inside of Iran, and SMS and other communications tools were being used to help organize massive demonstrations. Yet all of those tools were under U.S. sanctions.”

The restrictions have blocked companies from selling laptops, mobile phones or modems to Iranians, which has fueled a black market for the goods. They also have blocked services such as satellite-based Internet access, website hosting, and virtual private networks for Iranian citizens, according to the group.