Miles
09-06-2003, 07:41 AM
KUALA LUMPUR June 6 - Malaysians on the whole are interested in using the 2.5 or third generation network (3G) but not willing to pay extra, a survey by TNS, the world's leading market information group revealed.
TNS said close to half of mobile phone owners indicated they were likely to start using 2.5/3G within the next six months if it was available to them but it did not match with their willingness to pay.
It said that two-thirds of all mobile phone owners recognised these wireless services were worth paying for but only one third were willing to pay 20 percent more on their current monthly bill.
"This means that, at least in terms of interest, Malaysia is one of the markets showing high potential for these products," TNS said in a statement Friday.
The Asia Telecoms Index (ATI) 2003 survey was conducted on 8,736 adults aged 16 to 69 in Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, India and Pakistan.
TNS said the survey figures were presented at 95 percent confidence levels and have a margin error of plus or minus 3.9 percent in Malaysia.
On the whole, TNS revealed that 25 percent of Asians who own mobile phones were using or likely to start using 2.5 or 3G within the next six months. It proved that there is a viable "early adopter" for 2.5/3G services.
"Half of all mobile phone owners would be willing to pay 20 percent more on their current monthly bill for 2.5/3G services, and this goes up to 30 percent more among the early adopter segment mentioned earlier," said TNS.
This findings indicated that there was a good size of early adopters immediately going for the services, TNS regional director for Telecoms AP, Hanis Harun said.
TNS said the implications were that not all mobile phone owners saying that they would start using 2.5/3G services, would actually do so and also, clearly, that networks would also need to drive home the facts on cost versus benefits for 2.5/3G services among mobile phone owners.
Amongst communication services, and excluding the ever popular Short Message Service, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) for photos and e-mails with attachments, were cited by 50 percent and 48 percent, respectively as being of most interest to current mobile owners in Asia.
Read More (http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2003&dt=0607&pub=Utusan_Express&sec=Economy&pg=ec_09.htm)
TNS said close to half of mobile phone owners indicated they were likely to start using 2.5/3G within the next six months if it was available to them but it did not match with their willingness to pay.
It said that two-thirds of all mobile phone owners recognised these wireless services were worth paying for but only one third were willing to pay 20 percent more on their current monthly bill.
"This means that, at least in terms of interest, Malaysia is one of the markets showing high potential for these products," TNS said in a statement Friday.
The Asia Telecoms Index (ATI) 2003 survey was conducted on 8,736 adults aged 16 to 69 in Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, India and Pakistan.
TNS said the survey figures were presented at 95 percent confidence levels and have a margin error of plus or minus 3.9 percent in Malaysia.
On the whole, TNS revealed that 25 percent of Asians who own mobile phones were using or likely to start using 2.5 or 3G within the next six months. It proved that there is a viable "early adopter" for 2.5/3G services.
"Half of all mobile phone owners would be willing to pay 20 percent more on their current monthly bill for 2.5/3G services, and this goes up to 30 percent more among the early adopter segment mentioned earlier," said TNS.
This findings indicated that there was a good size of early adopters immediately going for the services, TNS regional director for Telecoms AP, Hanis Harun said.
TNS said the implications were that not all mobile phone owners saying that they would start using 2.5/3G services, would actually do so and also, clearly, that networks would also need to drive home the facts on cost versus benefits for 2.5/3G services among mobile phone owners.
Amongst communication services, and excluding the ever popular Short Message Service, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) for photos and e-mails with attachments, were cited by 50 percent and 48 percent, respectively as being of most interest to current mobile owners in Asia.
Read More (http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2003&dt=0607&pub=Utusan_Express&sec=Economy&pg=ec_09.htm)