Consumers rate voice and SMS costs above mobile data services

British consumers view voice call and text prices as more important than 3G and social networking capabilities, claims research commissioned by UK based firm, OpenCloud. In a survey of 1,000 consumers, more than 80 per cent see voice call and text prices as the most important factors when looking for a new phone, whereas two-thirds of respondents view social networking applications as luxury additions and non-essential. The "My Mobile Lifestyle" survey, looking at consumer attitudes to mobile phone usage and types of services they desire, found the current economic uncertainty to be affecting the penetration of social media and 3G applications into the nation's consciousness. Respondents indicated that when mobile belt-tightening occurs, the first service to go is Internet-based applications. Article