Mobile phone use growing despite economic crunch
Seven out of 10 people in Puerto Rico are mobile phone users and the trend is increasing as more people are making wireless handsets an essential part of their life, according to a mobile market study presented by the Sales and Marketing Executives Association of Puerto Rico.
A quantitative study conducted by local firm Estudios Técnicos showed that, on average, people have 1.4 mobile phone contracts in their name and have 1.2 mobile phones. There are approximately 2.8 million mobile phone users, which means there are around 3.3 million mobile phones in use on the island.
Estudios Técnicos surveyed 500 people islandwide representative of the population 14 years and older based on gender, age and income level, Luis Rodríguez Báez, vice president of Estudios Técnicos said Thursday.
The study concluded that the average mobile phone user spends 1,430 minutes per month talking on the phone, with the 18-24 age category averaging the most minutes — 2,791 — and the over-50 population averaging the least — around 741 minutes.
As mobile phone technology continues to evolve, with smartphones on the rise, more consumers are using their phones not only to talk but to send text messages, navigate the Internet and check their e-mail messages, Rodríguez Báez said.
Around 22 percent of mobile phone users have Internet on their handsets and, of these, 45.6 percent use it every day, 54.4 percent check their e-mails everyday and 49.1 percent do online searches or visit social networks such as Facebook (45.6 percent) and Myspace (22.8 percent).
“The most active mobile phone users are in the 18-24 age group, which indicate the projections for growth are very positive,” said Rodríguez Báez.
Meanwhile, a qualitative study conducted and presented by OMD Puerto Rico shows mobile phone use in Puerto Rico has evolved greatly. Wireless handsets have practically replaced public phones, which are about to disappear, said Rubén Rodríguez, general director of OMD.
In 2000, there were 25,618 public phones and as of June 2009, there were around 3,646 phones.
Mobile phones have also surpassed fixed lines. In 2000, the ratio was 50 percent mobile phone lines and 50 percent fixed lines. In 2009, only 26 percent of phones are fixed lines, while 64 percent have mobile phones, representing a reduction of around 34 percent.
Transcending basic function
According to the qualitative study, based on 20 ethnographic visits to representative families throughout the island, mobile phone use has transcended its basic function and has become part of people’s lifestyles they cannot do without.
Fathers, for example, define mobile phone use as a way of life, a tool for work, while mothers consider it a way to get closer to and supervise their children, a form of safety when they are on the road and a way to keep in touch with their friends, explained María Casas, research manager for OMD.
“Consumers have established a relationship with their mobile phones,” said Casas.
Children, on the other hand, use it for entertainment and communication with their friends and to say things they cannot verbalize.
“Younger people tend to perceive mobile phone use as their life, their reason for being,” said Casas.
In fact, adults and children cannot imagine living without a mobile phone, she added.
For example, one mother surveyed said, “life without a mobile phone is like being lost in a desert” and a young boy said “it is like a dark hallway.”
With regard to mobile phone use, most fathers use it to make calls, send text messages and go online, while mothers use it to make calls, send text messages, take pictures and go online.
Meanwhile, children use their phones mostly for text messages, followed by game applications, music and photos. Their phone is usually on 24/7 and is used everywhere.
Smartphones are preferred by both children and adults with the Blackberry and iPhone preferred the most, especially the latter.
“In conclusion, mobile phones mean never being alone, having multiple functions, access to information and individuality,” said Rodríguez.
Moreover, the mobile phone industry seems to be resistant to the economic crisis, since most of the people surveyed have done nothing to cut down on costs regarding their mobile phone use or eliminated any features.
“We are currently before a market hypnotized by the benefits of technological advances and the desire to be a part of that new era,” said Rodríguez.
Thus, the mobile phone is the medium for the present and the future, he concluded.
A quantitative study conducted by local firm Estudios Técnicos showed that, on average, people have 1.4 mobile phone contracts in their name and have 1.2 mobile phones. There are approximately 2.8 million mobile phone users, which means there are around 3.3 million mobile phones in use on the island.
Estudios Técnicos surveyed 500 people islandwide representative of the population 14 years and older based on gender, age and income level, Luis Rodríguez Báez, vice president of Estudios Técnicos said Thursday.
The study concluded that the average mobile phone user spends 1,430 minutes per month talking on the phone, with the 18-24 age category averaging the most minutes — 2,791 — and the over-50 population averaging the least — around 741 minutes.
As mobile phone technology continues to evolve, with smartphones on the rise, more consumers are using their phones not only to talk but to send text messages, navigate the Internet and check their e-mail messages, Rodríguez Báez said.
Around 22 percent of mobile phone users have Internet on their handsets and, of these, 45.6 percent use it every day, 54.4 percent check their e-mails everyday and 49.1 percent do online searches or visit social networks such as Facebook (45.6 percent) and Myspace (22.8 percent).
“The most active mobile phone users are in the 18-24 age group, which indicate the projections for growth are very positive,” said Rodríguez Báez.
Meanwhile, a qualitative study conducted and presented by OMD Puerto Rico shows mobile phone use in Puerto Rico has evolved greatly. Wireless handsets have practically replaced public phones, which are about to disappear, said Rubén Rodríguez, general director of OMD.
In 2000, there were 25,618 public phones and as of June 2009, there were around 3,646 phones.
Mobile phones have also surpassed fixed lines. In 2000, the ratio was 50 percent mobile phone lines and 50 percent fixed lines. In 2009, only 26 percent of phones are fixed lines, while 64 percent have mobile phones, representing a reduction of around 34 percent.
Transcending basic function
According to the qualitative study, based on 20 ethnographic visits to representative families throughout the island, mobile phone use has transcended its basic function and has become part of people’s lifestyles they cannot do without.
Fathers, for example, define mobile phone use as a way of life, a tool for work, while mothers consider it a way to get closer to and supervise their children, a form of safety when they are on the road and a way to keep in touch with their friends, explained María Casas, research manager for OMD.
“Consumers have established a relationship with their mobile phones,” said Casas.
Children, on the other hand, use it for entertainment and communication with their friends and to say things they cannot verbalize.
“Younger people tend to perceive mobile phone use as their life, their reason for being,” said Casas.
In fact, adults and children cannot imagine living without a mobile phone, she added.
For example, one mother surveyed said, “life without a mobile phone is like being lost in a desert” and a young boy said “it is like a dark hallway.”
With regard to mobile phone use, most fathers use it to make calls, send text messages and go online, while mothers use it to make calls, send text messages, take pictures and go online.
Meanwhile, children use their phones mostly for text messages, followed by game applications, music and photos. Their phone is usually on 24/7 and is used everywhere.
Smartphones are preferred by both children and adults with the Blackberry and iPhone preferred the most, especially the latter.
“In conclusion, mobile phones mean never being alone, having multiple functions, access to information and individuality,” said Rodríguez.
Moreover, the mobile phone industry seems to be resistant to the economic crisis, since most of the people surveyed have done nothing to cut down on costs regarding their mobile phone use or eliminated any features.
“We are currently before a market hypnotized by the benefits of technological advances and the desire to be a part of that new era,” said Rodríguez.
Thus, the mobile phone is the medium for the present and the future, he concluded.