Canadian cellphone usage behind other countries

TNS released a study called the “Global Telecoms Insight” that has found only “two-thirds of the Canadian population between the ages of 16 and 60 use a mobile phone on a regular basis”. And this level is lower than the global average of 80%. (In Canada, the study was based from 550 online interviews between November 29 and December 14, 2007)

Michael Ennamorato, a senior vice-president at TNS Canadian Facts said “Canadians do not have the same attachment to and reliance on mobile phones as the rest of the world does. Making calls from landline phones in Canada is relatively inexpensive and many Canadians think that the quality of landline connections is superior to wireless.”

Here are some trends that the study revealed:
– Canadians who own mobile phones are in no rush to replace them
– Canadians expect to keep their handset for 3.5 years on average
– Canadian mobile users that they are unwilling to pay a higher price for their next phone
– Canadians to focus on plans rather than hardware
– Among the one-third of Canadians who do not own mobile phones, the majority has no intention of purchasing a cellphone within the next 12 months

Over 16,000 participants were asked to comment on their usage of and attitudes towards telecommunications devices, with mobile phones forming the core of the study. The study was conducted in Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UAE, UK, USA and Vietnam.

More info from this report here (PDF)