Table:
|  |  |  | (dollars in millions, except ARPA) |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  |  |  | Increase/ (Decrease) |  |
| Years Ended December 31, | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 vs. 2018 |  |
| Service | $65,383 | $ 64,223 | $ 1,160 | 1.8% |
| Wireless equipment | 18,048 | 18,875 | (827) | (4.4) |
| Other | 7,625 | 6,664 | 961 | 14.4 |
| Total Operating Revenues | $ 91,056 | $ 89,762 | $ 1,294 | 1.4 |
| Connections (‘000):(1) |  |  |  |  |
| Wireless retail connections | 94,544 | 94,507 | 37 | — |
| Wireless retail postpaid connections | 90,481 | 89,861 | 620 | 0.7 |
| Fios Internet connections | 5,902 | 5,760 | 142 | 2.5 |
| Fios video connections | 4,152 | 4,377 | (225) | (5.1) |
| Broadband connections | 6,467 | 6,460 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Voice connections | 5,754 | 6,332 | (578) | (9.1) |
| Net Additions in Period (‘000):(2) |  |  |  |  |
| Wireless retail | 379 | 372 | 7 | 1.9 |
| Wireless retail postpaid | 970 | 1,129 | (159) | (14.1) |
| Wireless retail postpaid phones | 737 | 498 | 239 | 48.0 |
| Churn Rate: |  |  |  |  |
| Wireless retail | 1.28% | 1.25% |  |  |
| Wireless retail postpaid | 1.05% | 1.00% |  |  |
| Wireless retail postpaid phones | 0.79% | 0.76% |  |  |
| Account Statistics: |  |  |  |  |
| Wireless retail postpaid ARPA | $ 118.13 | $115.48 | $ 2.65 | 2.3 |
| Wireless retail postpaid accounts (‘000)(1) | 33,875 | 34,086 | (211) | (0.6) |
| Wireless retail postpaid connections per account(1) | 2.67 | 2.64 | 0.03 | 1.1 |
Paragraphs:
Operating Revenues and Selected Operating Statistics
(1) As of end of period (2) Excluding acquisitions and adjustments.
Consumer’s total operating revenues increased $1.3 billion, or 1.4%, during 2019 compared to 2018, primarily as a result of increases in Service and Other revenues, partially offset by a decrease in Wireless equipment revenue.
Service Revenue Service revenue increased $1.2 billion, or 1.8%, during 2019 compared to 2018, primarily due to increases in wireless service and Fios revenues, partially offset by decreases in wireline voice and DSL services.
Wireless service revenue increased $1.3 billion, or 2.5%, during 2019 compared to 2018, due to increases in wireless access revenue, driven by customers shifting to higher access plans including unlimited plans and increases in the number of devices per account, the declining fixed-term subsidized plan base and growth from reseller accounts. Wireless retail postpaid ARPA increased 2.3%.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, Fios revenues totaled $10.4 billion and increased $92 million, or 0.9%, compared to 2018. This increase was due to a 2.5% increase in Fios Internet connections, reflecting increased demand in higher broadband speeds, partially offset by a 5.1% decrease in Fios video connections, reflecting the ongoing shift from traditional linear video to over-the-top (OTT) offerings.
Service revenue attributable to wireline voice and DSL broadband services declined during 2019, compared to 2018. The declines are primarily due to a decrease of 9.1% in voice connections resulting primarily from competition and technology substitution with wireless and competing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and cable telephony services.
Wireless Equipment Revenue Wireless equipment revenue decreased $827 million, or 4.4%, during 2019 compared to 2018, as a result of declines in wireless device sales primarily due to an elongation of the handset upgrade cycle and increased promotions. These decreases were partially offset by a shift to higher priced units in the mix of wireless devices sold.
Other Revenue Other revenue includes non-service revenues such as regulatory fees, cost recovery surcharges, revenues associated with our device protection package, leasing and interest on equipment financed under a device payment plan agreement when sold to the customer by an authorized agent. Other revenue increased $1.0 billion, or 14.4%, during 2019 compared to 2018, primarily due to pricing increases related to our wireless device protection plans, as well as regulatory fees.
Question:
Why did Consumer’s total operating revenues increase in 2019?
Answer: as a result of increases in Service and Other revenues, partially offset by a decrease in Wireless equipment revenue.