Confusion over Wi-Fi, 3G and GPRS
August 22, 2005
Tatara Systems, an innovator and developer of converged mobile solutions for communications service providers, has announced the results of business user research into wireless data communications usage. The survey has revealed that most users do not understand the differences between 3G, GPRS and Wi-Fi; that Wi-Fi use through hotspots is more popular than Wi-Fi use at home, and that laptop users buy coffee just so they can access hotspots.
The survey of over 100 laptop owners was carried out in the City of London between 10 July and 22 July 2005.
When asked about how they access data when on the move, only two per cent of the users surveyed that accessed mobile data used laptops with 3G services; 14 percent used Blackberry devices, 10 percent used other PDAs and the
majority (75 percent) used wireless-enabled laptops at public Wi-Fi hotspots.
Over half (58 per cent) of the Wi-Fi users surveyed admitted that they went to outlets and bought food and drink, just so they could access Wi-Fi hotspots - Starbucks was the location named by the most respondents.
The survey also found that most users of Wi-Fi use it at public hotspots, with wireline broadband connections still the most popular connection at home. Two thirds of those questioned have broadband in their home, but only a fifth of those use Wi-Fi access at home.
The respondents who use public hotspots were asked how often they do so, and 20 per cent said they used Wi-Fi once a month, 40 per cent used Wi-Fi once a week, 20 per cent used Wi-Fi several times a week, and 10 per cent used public Wi-Fi every day. 56 per cent of these would go out of their way to use a free service.
Only one in twenty respondents said that they understood the difference between Wi-Fi, 3G and GPRS.
Richard Hubble, EMEA director for Tatara Systems said, "It won't come as any surprise to the mobile operators that usage of 3G to access mobile data on laptops is currently low. That's why they are making significant improvements to their services in order to try and benefit from the booming demand for mobile data solutions, with Vodafone recently launching the Vodafone Mobile Connect Prepay 3G data card to plug into users' laptops, T-Mobile announcing plans to introduce the first HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) updateable laptop data card, and all the mobile operators also now offering a Wi-Fi service as part of their overall product portfolio. This converged 'wireless broadband' market is really ramping up.
However, as the survey shows, service providers need to keep in mind that users simply don't care what network technology they're using to access their data - as long as they can connect quickly and easily, and have straightforward bills with cost-effective pricing."
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