Thanks to the release of popular handsets, the U.S. market has surpassed Western Europe in 3G adoption by a hair, according to new data from comScore.

The number of American mobile subscribers with 3G is 28.4%, versus

28.3% in the largest countries in Europe. Additionally, the number of

U.S. subscribers with 3G-enabled devices has grown 80% to 64.2 million

during the past year, comScore said.

"For years, the American mobile industry has aspired to the

level of sophistication of the European market," said Mark Donovan,

senior VP and senior analyst at comScore, in a statement. "Today,

Americans have finally caught up with Europeans in adoption of 3G."

Donovan credits the leap in 3G adoption to the release of

attractive handsets, as well as the push to roll out networks by the

mobile operators.

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