For the first time, spending on cell phone services has exceeded spending on residential landline services in the U.S., according to new data from the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The data shows that the amount of spending on cell phone services actually crossed the line back in 2007. From 2001 to 2007, cellular phone expenditures increased rapidly, from $210 "per consumer unit" to $608 in 2007, an increase of almost 200 percent. Meanwhile, residential phone service expenditures per consumer unit fell from $686 to $482 over the same time period, a decrease of 30 percent.

The report comes as consumers continue to slowly move over to cell phone services. Back in September, Nielsen Mobile released data showing that 17 percent of U.S. households get by without a landline these days; the analytics firm predicted at the time that the number would increase to almost 20 percent by the end of 2008.