Text messaging remains top service for mobile phone users: IDC

[jones]

Text messaging remains top service for mobile phone users: IDC Fri Mar 3, 12:31 PM ET



Text messaging remains the most popular service for mobile phone users in the Asia Pacific despite offers for fancier applications such as email and gaming, an industry research group said.

International Data Corp (IDC) said its survey showed that less than 10 percent of mobile phone users are utilizing services other than the reliable short messaging system (SMS), or text messaging.

There had been hype that the humble SMS would be eclipsed by its more advanced cousins following the emergence of pricey third generation (3G) mobile phones and more advanced content applications.

But IDC said that the "latest findings reveal that, despite the proliferation of content-rich mobile data services, the adoption of advanced services such as mobile phone payment, online mobile gaming and mobile email have yet to reach noteworthy levels of usage."

IDC telecom analyst Karen Rondon added: "Improved adoption of different mobile data services will go hand in hand with the pervasiveness of mobile handsets capable of supporting such services as well as ease of use.

"The challenge therefore lies with service operators and mobile phone vendors to educate and accustom the market to the value proposition of such services and mobile devices that come with affordable price tags."

IDC's survey covered 4,056 urban Internet users in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.

Mobile phone penetration rates also rose sharply in 2005, IDC said, with the number of respondents who owned mobile phones reaching 90.2 percent, up from 80.2 percent in 2004.

"SMS (remained) as the most popular mobile data application, with 65 percent of the users sending text messages every day," IDC said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060303...hnologytelecom

[azcellphonejunkie]

And I just cancelled TXT off my account due to non-usage

[cgd]

That's an interesting article. I definitely fit in that category, other than the occasional ringtone download (free ones, normal ringers that don't come on phones but ought to, not the latest MP3 song). I'm just a bit older than the gaming generation, but I'll play the rare Bejeweled or something mindless like that on my PDA while waiting in line somewhere. (Even the age thing isn't the whole reason--I know many twentysomethings who just have a basic phone and don't care about video games). The small screens on a cell phone deter me from wanting to play games on it.

I have the above-mentioned PDA which I don't use much (except for games), so the PDA/smartphone bug hasn't bitten me yet, and there's the expense of data and Blackberry packages (husband has one). I'm at a computer all day and have high-speed internet at the house and so don't need mobile e-mail. But text messaging is easy to use, cheap, and does what I need it to do.

The industry need not wonder so much about it--most of us just don't need or want gaming, mobile e-mail, MobiTV, or the Ipod-in-a-phone deal. It's not that I'm unenlightened, scared of technology, or reluctant to embrace new things. Also, even the most basic phones like the Nokia 6010 now have color displays, text messaging, and browsers, and many have IM. Bottom line--I just need a phone to make calls and text message with. Reception, call quality, and not blowing my entire budget on features I don't need are primary. I suspect this is the case for many cell users.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by jones But IDC said that the "latest findings reveal that, despite the proliferation of content-rich mobile data services, the adoption of advanced services such as mobile phone payment, online mobile gaming and mobile email have yet to reach noteworthy levels of usage."

Maybe because the cost's for these features are that much higher then SMS.