Telenor Research reveals continued support for traditional voice, SMS services

Telenor said traditional mobile telecoms services including voice and SMS are still in demand among consumers aged 16 to 35 years of age, despite the growing use of internet-based communication services.

A Telenor Research survey of 5,600 mobile internet users from Serbia, Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Malaysia, Thailand, and Pakistan found that consumers still regard SMS and mobile calls as intrinsic services that complement their use of messaging apps and internet calling features.

European and Nordic consumers are most skewed in favour of traditional services, the survey found. For example, some 94 per cent of Serbian mobile users make at least one traditional voice call each day, while 50 per cent of Hungarian mobile users in the age group continue to rate voice calls among the most important services available.

In Norway 38 per cent of respondents said they make a mobile voice call daily, while in Sweden the figure stood at 34 per cent.

Bjørn Taale Sandberg, head of Telenor Research, explained that mobile customers in Norway and Sweden are more likely to use traditional voice and SMS services "because these services are often bundled into monthly subscriptions."

However, the research also found that Norwegian and Swedish users are increasingly using internet messaging services, with 64 per cent in Norway and 55 per cent in Sweden stating that they use such applications each day.

The figure was higher in Serbia, where 85 per cent said they use a web-based messaging app, and Hungary was on-par with the Nordic countries.

Telenor Research also noted that Serbia led its European neighbours in terms of use of internet calling services, with 49 per cent using web-based voice and 30 per cent video calls. In contrast, at least 33 per cent of users in Norway and Sweden said they never use web-based calling services.

Swedish users topped the list in terms of using mobile financial services, with 57 per cent using such functions on a weekly basis. Thai users ranked in second place in this regard (49 per cent) with Norwegians third (44 per cent).

Sandberg said the research showed that traditional telecoms services "like voice calls and SMS are still an important part of the communication habits in most of the surveyed countries," despite highlighting "a general trend towards increased use of internet based communication on mobiles."

For more:
- see this Telenor announcement

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