According to a recently released report from JupiterResearch, European mobile customers are pretty much only interested in mobile-to-mobile text and (to a lesser extent) picture messaging. A scant few customers have used additional data services. This is the case despite Internet-enabled phones.
This article from Silicon.com goes into a bit of detail.
From the report:
A report from analyst house JupiterResearch has found that the majority of European consumers – some 68 per cent – are not interested in paying for any data services outside text and picture messaging.
But what I find most interesting is this:
According to JupiterResearch, a dearth of suitable handsets cannot explain the lack of enthusiasm. As phones with more sophisticated functionality – such as internet access – have hit the market, use of such capabilities has not risen accordingly.
There are two real possibilities that I see here:
- Using handsets to access the Internet is still just too cumbersome and difficult for most users to learn. The menus are cumbersome and arcane, and it seems one can only get connected half the time.
- Most mobile data offerings are still based on a walled garden. This is more so for handsets than for smartphones or PDAs. Users can only access the content their carriers allow them to see. Its boring AND expensive; hence no one is interested in it.
That second point has real ramifications for all of the hubbub about network neutrality here in the US. If the fixed broadband carriers should emulate the failed service model of their wireless brethren they can expect to see broadband subscriber numbers fall through the floor.
Tags: Net Neutrality, Wireless
