Posted: 03rd Aug, 2007 By: MarkJ
The latest research from Point-Topic has revealed that while Mobile Broadband services may be entering more affordable territory, they still have a long way to go before prices are low enough for wider acceptance:
Just as with mobile phones and the early years of the internet, the early adopters of internet on the move are young male technology enthusiasts, says Tim Johnson Chief Analyst at Point Topic. But there millions more out there who are keen to use it, if the prices and solutions are right for them.
57% of mobile internet users today are under 35 years old and they are much more likely to come from the more affluent social groups. But the range of people who say they are interested in using mobile internet in future is much more evenly spread by gender, age group, social group and income
While current usage is dominated by work-related applications, the new users are much more interested in entertainment and keeping in touch with their friends. Marketing needs to change to reach this much wider group with the promise of meeting their different needs and wants. Prices and devices have to be right as well.
Unfortunately some mobile operators have a habit of restricting a lot of useful services, such as
VoIP and Instant Messaging. However Vodafone's recent advertising efforts to promote a "mobile" Internet is a good sign of things to come.
Sadly Vodafone's £25 per month (3GB cap) datacard often looks more attractive than their consumer focused (mobile phone based) £7.50 per month (120MB cap) option.