AT&T, Sprint Target Over-50 Texters

As growth in voice revenue slows, carriers are pushing data services and the over-50 market is largely untapped. Forty-two percent of Americans 50 or older sent any texts in a given month last quarter, compared with 85 percent for 13- to 34-year-olds, according to ComScore Inc.

“It’s a very attractive market for us,” said Michael Woodward, vice president of AT&T’s mobile-phone portfolio. “The opportunity has been to improve the rate at which people are attaching data plans and that starts with texting.”

To reach the older market, wireless carriers are offering lessons in how to text, introducing phones with oversized buttons and fine-tuning their marketing strategies. AT&T has boosted its advertising in media that draw older generations, including the AARP magazine from the over-50 advocacy group and the “Dancing With the Stars” series on Walt Disney Co.’s ABC.

AT&T, Sprint Target Over-50 Phone Users Eager to LOL - Bloomberg