Survey Reveals UK Consumer Interest in More Wi-Fi Services from Mobile Operators
UK smartphone owners interested in using Wi-Fi to improve coverage,
receive discounted calling
Milpitas, Calif., July 27, 2010
Seventy-four percent of smartphone-with-Wi-Fi owners would be interested in an application that uses Wi-Fi to improve indoor 3G coverage at home or in the office, according to a YouGov online omnibus survey of nearly 2,200 respondents in the United Kingdom. The survey also showed 80 percent of these users would be interested in a service from their mobile operator that would give discounted calling when the phone was connected to Wi-Fi.
Additional highlights from the online survey conducted in June 2010, include:
- 50 percent of people in the United Kingdom who own smartphones with Wi-Fi capabilities use the Wi-Fi every day;
- 40 percent of smartphone owners who use the Wi-Fi say they do so because it is faster for accessing the internet; 50 percent say because it is easier;
- One in five respondents (22%) say the most annoying aspect of Wi-Fi is that it only works in some locations, reflecting a desire to use Wi-Fi more broadly.
- The most widely owned smartphone (with or without Wi-Fi) in the UK is the iPhone (33 percent) followed by Nokia (20 percent).
“Consumers in the UK are clearly interested in taking more advantage of the Wi-Fi on their smartphones in order to improve mobile service and save them money,” said Mark Powell, vice president and general manager of Kineto’s Client Business Unit. “Mobile operators have distinct market opportunities to reduce churn, improve service quality and keep customers satisfied by enhancing their use of Wi-Fi.”
These survey numbers are in line with a January 2009 survey of more than 2,700 Wi-Fi users in the UK and Europe conducted by Decipher, Inc. on behalf of Devicescape. According to those reported results, The overwhelming majority of smartphone users (81 percent) prefer using Wi-Fi over 3G for browsing Web sites, downloading data, Google searches and sending e-mail; and 82 percent of respondents want their service provider to provide an overall 3G/Wi-Fi data package.
The survey was commissioned by Kineto Wireless Inc., the key innovator and leading supplier of solutions that enable delivery of mobile services over broadband. Kineto also commissioned a Q2 2010 survey of smartphone owners in the United States. A more comprehensive look at the UK and US survey results, along with the press releases, can be viewed at Kineto.com.
About YouGov
YouGov plc is a professional research and consulting organisation, pioneering the use of the Internet and information technology to collect high quality, in-depth data for market research and stakeholder consultation; providing companies with a rounded view of their staff, customers, brands and investors as well as assessing opinion amongst the general public and the media.
Through panel management expertise, flexibility and an innovative approach to recruitment, YouGov operates a panel of over 280,000 UK members representing all ages, socio-economic groups and other demographic types. For more information, visit http://www.yougov.com.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,176 adults (of those 451 were smartphone owners). Fieldwork was undertaken between 11th - 14th June 2010. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
About Kineto Wireless
Kineto Wireless is the key innovator and leading supplier of standards-based solutions that enable mobile operators to embrace the cost and performance advantages of fixed and mobile broadband access networks. The company provides software and services to major wireless infrastructure and handset vendors so they can deliver Smart Offload solutions based on Wi-Fi and femtocell technologies, as well as Voice over LTE. Kineto customers and partners include Airvana, AudioCodes, Cisco, GENBAND, HTC, Juniper Networks, LG Electronics, Motorola, NEC, Qualcomm, RIM, Samsung and Ubiquisys. For more information about Kineto, please visit http://www.kineto.com.
Media Enquiries for Kineto: |
|
