77% of UK mobile phone users shy away from using mobile data

May 22, 2005

The vast majority of mobile phone users that buy sophisticated handsets are not using mobile data services, reveals an independent NOP survey, commissioned by Olista amongst 800 users aged 15 - 65+. The findings show that 77% of phone users have never used any new data services such as picture and video messaging or gaming and ring tone downloads and a mere 12% of actual mobile data users profess to be completely satisfied with the service.

The survey makes grim reading for mobile operators and content providers, revealing that just 44% of mobile data users give up trying because they simply don't work. More worryingly these disaffected users are more likely to tell their friends and colleagues about the poor experience (43%) than report it to the operator (27%).

Oren Glanz, CEO of Olista says, "The survey graphically illustrates the need for operators to take a long hard look at the service they are providing to users. They have reacted to the poor take-up off mobile data services by simply rolling out more, on the basis that if you throw enough out there something will stick."

Taking picture messaging alone as an example, the user experience was less than positive.

Users of Picture Messaging	User Percentage
User Percentage	19%
Picture messaging didn't work at all or I had difficulty making it work	37%

"Any sales and marketing person learns early on in their career that it's a lot easier to keep a customer than to win a new one. This statistic showing that nearly half of those that try the service are left disappointed due to poor service experience and unlikely to continue shows that there is a fundamental flaw in the current approach to marketing these services," states Glanz. "The reason we started our company was because we felt that there was no technology out there today that allowed operators a view of mobile data usage from the user's perspective. Unless operators review their current approach to selling services such as 3G, they will struggle to recuperate the vast investment they've already made in these services.