Consumers want more mobile internet connectivity
Consumers want more internet connectivity on their mobile devices, according to new research from Accenture and the GSMA.
The study looked at three groups: early-adopter consumers that own at least four networked devices and use multiple internet software services; high-level managers at companies outside the traditional mobile industry who are committed to embedded connectivity, and executives at mobile network operators (MNOs).
Accenture said that the purpose of the research was to “assess the embedded wireless market opportunity and the main barriers to its development”.
According to the survey, a majority of consumers would welcome a single supplier for billing of networked devices (61%), managing their networked devices (59%) and providing customer support (59%) and web access to view their network devices (56%). Most (51%) would also like to purchase these networked devices and download applications from a single supplier.
The online survey questioned 1,005 early innovator consumers in 10 countries (the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, China, India, and Brazil. Early innovator consumers are early adopters of internet services and internet enabled devices. To qualify for the survey, these respondents had to own at least four networked devices, and had to have used four internet software services within the last month. To eliminate age and sex bias, the sample for each country was evenly divided between men and women and between the 18-to-30 and over-30 age groups.
Andy Zimmerman, global managing director, mobility, Accenture, said: “Mobile networks are continuing to evolve beyond being a conduit for phone calls, to becoming the medium that lets everything talk with everything – and the key to this transition is embedded devices.
“Consumer interest is growing, and we believe that mobile network operators would be wise to consider moving rapidly and deliberately to stake out their space in the emerging embedded wireless value chain.”
Alex Sinclair, chief technology officer at the GSMA, said: “It is very clear that the opportunity for embedded mobile devices and services is enormous.
“To fully capitalise on this opportunity, it is essential that mobile and other industry sectors collaborate closely to develop a robust and dynamic ecosystem that will spur the widespread availability and adoption of embedded mobile initiatives such as the GSMA’s Embedded Mobile program will play a key role in making this vision a reality.
Last week, research from the IAB revealed that mobile and online advertising can significantly increase brand awareness and purchase consideration when used together.
The study revealed that when exposed to ads across online and mobile, recognition was 43% greater than those exposed just to the online component.