Mobile Phones Move Beyond Voice

Datamation content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More .

Wireless phone owners are embracing a myriad of mobile services, according to research from Enpocket.Based on 1,000 telephone interviews from February 2004 to April, the survey revealed that the mobile usage gap between the UK and U.S. was narrowing, despite the UK’s earlier adoption of some services.

Currently a cultural phenomenon in the UK, text messaging is catching on with U.S. mobile phone users. More than one-third, or roughly 38 million, of U.S. wireless phone owners use SMS [define], and increased usage will likely spur further adoption.

“We believe the key driver of SMS usage is consumer education and the network effect. Consumers don’t know how to text or who to text. Once they start to text, they use the medium more and more. As use of the medium grows, the network effect means more and more communication flows through SMS, hence more consumers join to be part of the communication,” commented Rob Lawson, GM, Americas, Enpocket. “Certainly better handsets play a major part in encouraging consumers to try text, and to make this an easier activity for them,” continued Lawson.

Texters are integrating this fairly new communication tool with more traditional forms of media, creating opportunities for crossover marketing. Enpocket found that 2 percent of SMS users have sent a text message to a number on product packaging; 1.6 percent have texted to a TV show; 1.3 percent have sent a text message in respond to an ad; and 1.1 percent have texted to a radio show.

Another type of mobile messaging is gaining popularity too. The growth of “picture messaging,” or MMS, [define] will mirror the growth spurt of camera phones as the units are poised to overtake conventional digital cameras for images.Enpocket found that 12 percent of U.S. mobile users already own a device with a built-in camera, and 9 million adults have already used MMS in the three months prior to the survey.

“Once a consumer has taken a picture, they typically want to share it with others. As the network of MMS-capable handsets grows, sending pictures between phones by MMS increases rapidly via the network effect. Grandparents buy an MMS phone to get pictures of their grandchildren, sports fans buy phones to get highlights of their team’s games,” commented Lawson.

The survey also revealed that 13 percent of U.S. adult mobile users have downloaded a standard ringtone in the last 3 months; 8 percent have downloaded a polyphonic tone; and 4 percent have downloaded a Java [define] or Brew [define] game to their phone (compared to 6 percent in the UK).

This article was first published on ClickZ, a JupiterWeb site. To read the full article, click here.