Ericsson release report on “The Changing Mobile Broadband Landscape”

Ericsson ConsumerLab has released a new report titled “The Changing Mobile Broadband Landscape” which highlights the evolving mobile broadband adoption and usage in urban India. The report focusses on consumers from different socio-economic backgrounds who are using mobile internet on smartphones. The study reveals diverse behaviour and needs of different mobile broadband users and the need for service providers to offer personalization. Users’ needs are evolving as usage of services and applications on smartphones is becoming a way of life.

With the decrease in smartphone prices, the adoption of mobile Internet within the lower socio-economic segment has increased over the last two years: from 38 per cent in 2013 to 45 per cent in 2015.  Three in five smartphone users use mobile broadband in urban India. Mid-size and small cities are showing higher smartphone penetration levels at 33 per cent, as opposed to the smartphone penetration levels of 27 per cent in big non-metros and large cities.

At the same time, the proportion of smartphone users above the age of 50 has quadrupled, from 1 per cent in 2013 to 4 per cent in 2015. The primary motivation for this increase is the desire to be connected with loved ones in different parts of the country and the world, particularly through emails, chat applications and instant messaging.

Ajay Gupta, Vice-President & Head of Strategy and Marketing, Ericsson India, said, “The internet is finally coming of age and is empowering cross sections of Indian society.  Though the most used smartphone services in India are for social networking and instant messaging, the usage of banking, e-commerce, navigation and cloud storage apps and services is increasing. It is for this reason we are seeing uptake and digital transformation of many industries like retail, transportation, and banking.”

Video streaming accounts for the fastest-growing service on mobile data, followed by social networking. 70 per cent of mobile broadband smartphone users regularly stream videos on their smartphones, and 61 per cent use social networking. The convenience and improved experience makes m-commerce services attractive to Indian smartphone users. Of those users not using e-commerce services currently, 58 per cent stated that they would begin to do so in the next six months, while 52 per cent will use the internet to pay bill online. Services like location navigation while travelling and cloud storage are also seeing an upswing in usage.

63 per cent of users report that they face quality and reliability issues, such as lost connections and inconsistent network speeds, when using mobile networks indoors. Such problems are more common in mid-size and small towns compared to large cities.

For those consumers in India who do not use mobile broadband, affordability and digital literacy are the prime obstacles to adoption. 88 per cent of Indian consumers on 2G feel that mobile broadband is too expensive. 53 per cent feel that mobile broadband adds no value and as many as 48 per cent believe there is no difference between 2G and 3G speeds... See more