Daily Research News Online no. 3016 - EU Mobile Users not Inspired by 3G

EU Mobile Users not Inspired by 3G

March 24 2004

European mobile users 'have dealt a massive blow to the prospects of early mass 3G adoption' according to an HI Europe Poll of just under 10,000 mobile users in six EU countries. The findings come just months ahead of the widespread launch of 3G services across Europe.

Although the results identify some clear strategies that could help put 3G back on track, the poll showed an apparent lack of interest in the technology - 49% agree that 3G is of no interest and that current mobile phone technology completely satisfies their needs - with only 20% actively disagreeing.

One apparent reason is that voice service is the main requirement for many customers - 44% cannot see themselves using mobile phones for much more than making voice calls (35% disagree). However, a majority feel that the mobile industry has completely failed to explain what 3G is all about and why it is worth having (52% agree, 11% disagree).

There is also widespread cynicism about 3G prices. 55% agree that 3G operators will overprice it to help recoup the huge investment costs on licenses and infrastructure (10% disagree).

Mobile operators have invested billions in 3G and may now face an uphill struggle to make it a success.

Surinder Siama, Associate Director within HI Europe's technology practice and author of the study, believes that the findings lead to four important lessons for the various players in the 3G industry, including operators, manufacturers, retailers and applications developers:

A targeted approach, such as offering 3G data cards to road warriors, is more likely to bear fruit than the scattergun approach of operator 3
Don't forget voice: mobile voice is not passé - data still represents a small part of mobile spend and Wi-Fi will limit the appeal of 3G mobile data. Continued investment in innovative voice solutions, such as Nextel's highly successful Push to Talk product, which will soon launch in Europe through Orange, makes sense.
Communicate benefits, not just features: Steer clear of communicating 3G as a technology revolution (the mistake made with WAP), and instead focus on services and applications
Get it right: There is nothing worse than buying into a heavily promoted service only to find it unreliable. Yet anecdotal evidence suggests that 3G coverage is patchy.

The table shows attitudinal differences among mobile users by country, highlighting three notable figures.

% agreeing with statement
	Total 9865 %	GB 2637 %	France 2547 %	Germany 1273 %	Spain 2407 %	Italy 1301 %	Belgium 416 %
The mobile phone industry has completely failed to explain what 3G is all about and why it is worth having	52	58	39	49	71	49	28
3G is of no interest to me - current mobile phone technology provides everything I want	49	60	51	41	50	46	52
I find that mobile phone retailer staff are poor at explaining new technology	49	43	57	54	51	42	46
Looking ahead, I can't see myself using mobile phones for much more than making voice calls	44	54	45	32	44	45	49

Base: Mobile users, Source: HI Europe
HI Europe surveyed 10,581 people aged 18 and older in six EU countries using QuickQuery Europe, its online omnibus service, between 27 February and 4 March. 9,865 were mobile users (ranging from 91% in France to 98% in Belgium and Italy).