WAP: Interest and Ignorance 15/09/00 A new survey from NOP Research Group has found that 23% of UK mobile phone users say they are very or quite likely to obtain a mobile phone with Internet access, with one-third of these saying they will do so in the next 6 months. Although awareness of Mobile Internet is high, with 87% of mobile phone users having heard of it and 68% having seen it advertised, six out of ten mobile phone users (59%) do not know what services are currently available on WAP phones, suggesting that there is now a real need to provide some education on what WAP can offer. The young are particularly enthusiastic, with 38% of 16-17-year-olds saying they are likely to obtain a mobile phone with Internet access. Areas that are popular among those interested in getting a phone with Internet access include email, travel information and accessing information from directories, for instance, telephone numbers. Financial services such as mobile banking are also rated highly, indicating that these are likely to be key drivers in take-up of Mobile Internet services. There is, however, some work to be done in terms of communicating effective pricing messages: 41% of mobile users consider the cost of a WAP call to be higher than that of a normal call. According to Colin Strong, director of Mobile Internet research at NOP, “We expect the market for WAP phones to grow steadily between now and the run-up to Christmas. Volumes will be enhanced, however, by those who are upgrading their handsets anyway as there are currently good offers available on WAP handsets, although converting these to active users will be the hard part. There is potential for steady growth in the short term, but the challenge will be to convert that into sales by ensuring that packages are tailored to meet the needs of key groups. That means catering for low-budget teens interested in services like games and entertainment listings as well as for the more affluent who want access to e-mail and bank accounts via their mobiles.” The survey results are extracted from the Mobile Internet User Study, involving 1,008 telephone interviews with mobile users across the UK. Interviewing was conducted in July 2000. The study is run every 6 months and the next wave will be expanded to encompass international coverage.