Cell phone use has grown dramatically worldwide since 1990. The number of U.S. subscribers increased from 123,000 in 1990 to over 270 million in 2009. European subscribers grew from 75,000 in 1990 to 4.5 million in 2008, while Asian subscribers had the largest increase from 45,000 to 1.4 billion over the same period. Other markets also experienced significant growth in subscribers from 12,000 in 1990 to 16 million in 2008.