Mobile phones to rival PC for internet access

Stan Beer
Thursday, 20 April 2006 04:17

IT Industry - Market

Perhaps more important for the health of the industry, an increasing number of older adults (age 35+) are engaging in wireless activities. Increased usage among this group of consumers – presumably with higher net incomes and better credit – suggests the promise of higher Average Revenue Per Unit (ARPU) for the Wireless Industry in the future.

Among other findings, mobile phone ownership at the end of 2005 was at near saturation levels in many areas of the world – most notably in East Asia, as over 90% of all households in South Korea, Japan and urban China own at least one mobile phone, according to the Ipsos study. Western European markets rank second collectively in mobile phone prevalence, with roughly 80% of all households owning a wireless handset. In North America, prevalence of mobile ownership is slightly less robust: in the U.S., three in four households own a mobile phone, while just over 60% of Canadian households own a mobile phone today.

While overall household ownership appears to be hitting a ceiling in many developed markets, proliferation of ownership within households continues to climb. In 2005, more than two-thirds of all households that owned a mobile phone owned multiple handsets, while the average number of handsets in these households stands at 2.2 globally – slightly higher than 2004’s average of 2.1 per household.

The Face of the Web also reveals the strong association between Internet usage and mobile phone ownership. Among those who had gone online in the past 30 days, household ownership spiked to over 90% in 10 of the 12 global markets studied. Cruikshank says the connection between PCs and mobile phones will have significant implications for Internet-based services and applications.

“We think the high correlation between Internet users and mobile phone ownership suggests an opportunity for wireless services or applications that can link aspects of personalization across multiple Internet platforms,” said Cruikshank. “Still, it will be crucial for companies to let consumers know just how they can leverage personalization opportunities across multiple access devices to their benefit.”

 

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