Study reveals South Africa"s mobile phone habits

09.06.2005
Von Computing SA

It is official: South African men are bigger talkers than women when it comes to cell phones in their cars. 57 percent of men interviewed in a major new study admitted to talking on their cell phones while driving, compared to 37 percent of women.

The study forms part of the year-long Mobility 2005 research project undertaken by independent research organization World Wide Worx, with the backing of FNB, Cell C, Sentech and the Mobile Institute.

In the sixth phase of the study, entitled "The impact of mobile technologies on the SA consumer", released today, a nationally representative sample of 2,400 South Africans took part in telephonic interviews over a three-month period during the first half of this year. "The interviews were conducted with landline users who also own cellular phones, resulting in a sample that represents the upper two-thirds income brackets of cell phone users," says Peter Searll, director of Plus Harris 94, which conducted the field work for this phase on behalf of World Wide Worx.

The research unveils fascinating patterns in cell phone usage, and a detailed picture of a very satisfied market. "One of the most significant findings of the consumer research was that South Africans love their cell phones," says Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx. "Across half a dozen dimensions we rated, people were extremely satisfied with the impact of their cell phones on their lives."

This is clearly the market segment that keeps the cellular manufacturers in business: just over half of respondents said they had obtained a new handset in the past year. Of those who obtained new phones, half again said they would again obtain new handsets in the coming year. What happened to their old phones? The biggest proportion -- 44 percent of respondents -- passed it on to family members.18 percent kept it as a spare, 14 percent sold it, 10 percent gave it to a friend, and 5 percent simply threw it away. No less than 6 percent said their previous phone was stolen.

Age was found to be a major differentiator of the way in which South Africans use their cellular phones, particularly in the choice of contract versus prepaid accounts. While 33 percent of all users in this market segment are on contracts and 64 percent on prepaid, only 8 percent of those in the 16-19 age group are on contracts, with 90 percent on prepaid. This doubles to 17 percent on contracts in the 20-24 age group, with 78 percent on prepaid. Contract use rises steadily through the age groups until it peaks in the 46-49 age group, at 40 percent, and then begins to decline again.

More than half the respondents cited free or cheap phones as the reason for choosing their form of contract, pointing to a dramatic market shift if current regulatory proposals to scrap contract incentives become law. Average expenditure among contract users was R384 (US$56.83) per month, and among prepaid users R134, again indicating the impact that would be made on the market should there be a further shift to prepaid. Not surprisingly, expenditure is lowest in the 16-19 age group, rising steadily to a peak in the 35-44 age group, and then dropping steadily as age increases -- confirming the old stereotype that yuppies are the most enthusiastic cell phone users.

Nokia is far and away the first choice of cell phone brand for local phone users, with Motorola and Samsung in distant second and third places.