MEDIA-I: SAR top in mobile use but no benefit to WAP

HONG KONG: A survey by Taylor Sofres Interactive has found 83 per cent of the adult population in Hong Kong has a mobile phone, while 14 per cent have WAP, ranking the SAR first in mobile ownership and fourth in WAP phone ownership in Asia-Pacific. While the figures highlight the potential growth of mobile commerce in Hong Kong, TNS Hong Kong managing director, Wander Meijer, said the opportunities for m-commerce to benefit from e-commerce were "still comparatively low". "Technological advancement made via broadband services will certainly help to speed up internet access via mobile phones, especially with the introduction of GPRS and 3G technologies. "However, m-commerce still has a long way to go before it achieves wide acceptance among internet users in Hong Kong. The major obstacle is that most WAP phone owners do not perceive it as a tool for accessing the internet," Meijer said. He added that there were numerous limitations to WAP technology, including "a lack of confidence in online shopping due to relatively limited experience of the internet and perceived security issues", which suggested a reluctance by WAP users to fully utilise the services offered. The study also showed that 14 per cent more people own mobile phones than PCs in Hong Kong with household penetration reaching 69 per cent. Mobile phone ownership was highest among the 15-24 age group and 25-49-year-old group in all the countries surveyed, although in less affluent countries like China, Thailand and the Philippines, ownership was higher among middle-age adults. The results of the survey implied that mobile phone usage was mainly for commercial and business purposes, and young people in those countries did not have the purchasing power yet to own a mobile phone. Interestingly, only 25 per cent of WAP phone owners accessed the web through their WAP phones, while a mere seven per cent of all internet users in Hong Kong accessed the Web through WAP phones. Despite all the bad press for WAP, 16 per cent of respondents in Hong Kong said they would be "very likely" or "quite likely" to buy a WAP phone in the next 12 months. The survey also found Nokia led the mobile phone market in Asia-Pacific with a 31 per cent share, followed by Motorola at 12 per cent and Ericsson at nine per cent. The WAP phone market is dominated by Nokia followed by Panasonic and Motorola. Meijer added the study provided information related to local and regional trends developing in m-commerce and could give online marketers a lead in devising and formulating marketing strategies. The report surveyed eight countries in Asia-Pacific - Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand.

Sign In

Trouble signing in?

Reset Password: Click here

Contact Customer Support at

Customerservice@campaignasia.com