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Mobile Content Services Show Sluggish Growth

6:45 am on August 5, 2007 | Category: Telecom Services, Web Services, Wireless

A surprisingly low number of U.S. wireless customers are using their phones for more than basic voice and text communications, according to a study conducted in mid-April by the research firm, Interactive.

The study revealed that only 18% of customers check email, access the internet, or download games on their mobile devices, and just 5% have watched wireless video clips. These numbers are virtually unchanged from last year, when a similar Interactive study showed that 16% of users had downloaded a game and 15% checked email or browsed the internet.

“I’m surprised by the slow growth of mobile applications,” commented Josh Sarpen, the manager of Initiative Insight & Futures. Despite aggressive promotion by most carriers, said Sarpen, mobile content services “have not come close to mainstream mass.”

The only application that showed significant growth in the past year was mobile music. 16% of survey respondents had listened to music on their mobile devices, double the number from one year ago.

Aside from phone calls, text messaging remains the most mainstream mobile application, with 48% or respondents using the technology, up from 40% last year.

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