T-Mobile’s Conectados Report: How U.S. Latinos Are Shaping the Mobile Future
At the inaugural Velocity Conference in Los Angeles, T-Mobile unveiled its Conectados: U.S. Latino Mobile Trends Report, offering one of the most comprehensive looks yet at how Latinos in the United States rely on mobile technology to connect, create, and thrive. The findings go well beyond basic phone usage, revealing how mobile devices serve as bridges across borders, engines of economic opportunity, and vital conduits for cultural expression. With Latinos making up more than a quarter of T-Mobile’s customer base, the carrier has a vested interest in understanding the community’s habits—and the results show Latinos are not just consumers of technology, but active shapers of its future.
A core theme of the report is the power of mobile devices to sustain connections across borders. Nearly three-quarters of Spanish-speaking Latinos report contacting someone internationally at least once a month, a much higher figure than English speakers, and many prefer voice or video calls over text alone. This reflects both the closeness of family ties abroad and the role of mobile networks as lifelines for immigrant communities. Popular messaging and calling apps reflect this international orientation, with Spanish speakers favoring tools that provide privacy, cross-border reliability, and affordability. Their communications habits illustrate a community thriving in two cultures simultaneously, with bilingualism reinforcing rather than diluting their connections.
Economic opportunity is another major pillar of Latino mobile usage. Nearly half of respondents reported using their phone for work, while a striking 50% of Spanish speakers already use AI tools for personal or professional tasks. Younger Latinos, especially those between 28 and 44, are at the forefront of this trend, leveraging mobile devices as hubs of productivity and self-improvement. Financial behavior underscores this pragmatism, with heavy reliance on peer-to-peer payment platforms like Zelle, Cash App, and Western Union, as well as buy-now, pay-later services such as Afterpay. The report also found that Latino families are much more likely to use educational apps than the general population, with nuanced differences across major cities—Chicago families leaning toward homework and utility, while New York families emphasize lifelong learning and advancement. Nearly six in ten Latino respondents use their phones for education, highlighting a deep commitment to both career development and personal growth.
The entertainment habits of Latino mobile users reveal another duality: heritage and mainstream. Spanish-language networks like Univision and Telemundo dominate, but platforms such as Disney+ also rank highly, showing how Latinos balance culturally resonant content with family-oriented mainstream entertainment. About 37% reported consuming bilingual content frequently, and 46% engage with music and entertainment tied to their heritage. This points to an increasingly bicultural consumer base where memes, GIFs, and music flow seamlessly between English and Spanish, reinforcing identity rather than fragmenting it.
T-Mobile is clearly positioning itself as more than just a wireless provider. The company emphasizes its deep connection to Latino communities through bilingual customer support, culturally relevant marketing, and inclusive programs like Stateside International Talk and the matrícula consular initiative. Beyond connectivity, T-Mobile invests in communities with initiatives such as Friday Night 5G Lights, supporting high school football programs in largely Hispanic communities; Hometown Grants, which have funded $19 million in projects across small towns; and Project 10Million, which has already connected more than 6.3 million underserved students to the internet. These efforts demonstrate that the company sees its role as both commercial and cultural, weaving mobile technology into the fabric of Latino life in America.
T-Mobile’s Conectados report makes one thing clear: U.S. Latinos are not just an important customer segment but a demographic force defining how mobile technology evolves in America. From sustaining cross-border ties to driving adoption of AI tools, from reimagining financial habits to blending bilingual entertainment, Latinos are setting the tone for what it means to live fully in a digital-first society. For T-Mobile, the challenge and opportunity lie in keeping pace with a community that moves fluently between cultures and expects technology to do the same.