Americans talk, surf more than Europeans on cells

NEW YORK — A global wireless industry trade group says that although Americans pay more for their cell service than Europeans, they’re getting a lot more use out of their phones.

The report by the GSM Association says that U.S. consumers talk five times as much as Europeans on their cellphones and use twice as much data.

AT&T and Verizon Wireless also have the lead in introducing the latest network technology. GSMA says that means average data downloads are 75 percent faster in the U.S.

Europe led the world in wireless technology a decade ago. The trade group says Europe is now lagging because carriers there are smaller, meaning they can’t get savings from efficiencies the way U.S. carriers can. It’s urging regulators to make it easier to build cross-border businesses.