We've seen anecdotal evidence of this in several European markets, but the annual Global Technology Insight (GTI) study from market research company TNS has identified little increase in 3G technology use worldwide. Globally, 23 percent of people say cost is the main barrier to using 3G. About 21 percent are not downloading songs to their handsets because of the expense, while 23 percent don't surf the web on the phone because it costs too much. Costs associated with using WiFi were also a barrier, the study says, as 22 percent of responders said cost was keeping them from using WiFi. Further, more people may have 3G capability in their handsets, but less than half, or about 9 percent, are using the 3G services. Of the 26 percent of people who have WiFi access through their phones (including smartphones and PDA phones), just 11% are using it. Mobile TV hasn't proven to be the use driver either. Just 9 percent of the 21 percent of people with mobile TV-capable devices actually use the service.
For more about the TNS study:
- read this article from cellular-news.com