Cell Only

Statistics on the number of Inland Northwest residents using cellular phones exclusively are difficult to come by, industry officials and state regulators say.

Lisa Bowersock, a spokeswoman for AirTouch Cellular, said that carrier’s best indicator is the sale of plans that provide for hundreds of minutes of cellular service each month.

At 1,200 minutes of service - 20 hours - the industry assumes that customer is almost exclusively wireless, she said, adding that AirTouch is selling “buckets” of minutes.

The industry also estimates that as much as 15 percent of wireless customers have no land-line service.

There are more than 1 million cellular phones in Washington state.

At the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, spokesman Tim Sweeney said many cellular users rely on the mobile sets for voice service and a land line for data.