For the sixth consecutive year, Cingular's annual survey on wireless usage reveals that men talk 16 percent more on their wireless phones each month than women.

Photo: Men Chat More Than Women Says Survey Photo 1

This year's survey revealed that men talk an average of 546 minutes per month on their cell phones, compared to 470 minutes per month for women. The gender gap however has closed considerably over the last year. In 2005, men used their wireless phones an average of 571 minutes per month compared to 424 minutes per month for women. Clearly the wireless world is starting to have universal appeal.

When it comes to talking business, men use their cell phones more than women - 33 percent compared to 14 percent. In matters of the home, however, women continue to rule the nest. On average, women use the home phone 471 minutes per month versus the 274 minutes per month that men use.

In keeping with the 2005 survey results, women continue to lead men when it comes to camera phone usage. In 2006, 51 percent of women use their camera feature frequently or occasionally with only 40 percent of men using as often. With this said, camera phone ownership among both sexes is up significantly. In 2006, 46 percent of the men surveyed and 42 percent of the women own a camera-capable cell phone. In 2005, only 21 percent of men and 25 percent of women owned camera-capable cell phones.

In this year's survey, Cingular wanted to identify which gender was the most absentminded when it came to keeping up with their cell phones. While only one-quarter of those surveyed admitted to having ever lost a cell phone, men proved to be slightly more forgetful than women - 28 percent compared to 23 percent.

The 2006 study also revealed:

- Eighty-four percent of women use their wireless phones to talk to friends and family, versus only 64 percent of men.
- Convenience still remains the top reason for wireless phone usage among men and women, with 66 percent indicating they primarily use their wireless phones for convenience purposes. Safety is second at 17 percent.

Since Cingular first began conducting its wireless usage study, guys have gabbed more each year:

Men vs. Women
2006 - 546 minutes a month vs. 470 minutes a month
2005 - 571 minutes a month vs. 424 minutes a month
2004 - 455 minutes a month vs. 391 minutes a month
2003 - 438 minutes a month vs. 377 minutes a month
2002 - 589 minutes a month vs. 394 minutes a month
2001 - 372 minutes a month vs. 275 minutes a month

The national survey of 1,016 qualified adult wireless user respondents (48 percent male and 52 percent female) was conducted for Cingular Wireless by International Communications Research in May 2006. Last year's study was also conducted in May using the same methodology and sampling demographics.