A survey of 15,000 consumers across the world shows that people trust mobile operators, but operators are not moving fast enough to provide advanced services
 
 

Who provides you with this service or feature now? Who is most appropriate or best
placed to provide the service or feature in the future?

 
 

How likely would you be to use smart mobile services?

To what extent do you trust different companies to collect and
store personal data and keep it confidential?

A global survey of 15,000 consumers across 15 countries highlights a huge demand for smart, personalised mobile internet services. However, mobile carriers are risking their place in the mobile value chain by not responding to these demands quickly enough.

Survey respondents suggest that over the next six months, media organisations such as the BBC, application developers such as Facebook and service providers such as Google, will be viewed as the most appropriate providers instead of mobile carriers.

The survey, undertaken by Nielsen Research and commissioned by Tellabs, reveals a strong user demand for a smart, personalised mobile internet experience. Almost two-thirds of users (63%) say they would use these services — tailored to personal preferences, location, time of day and social setting — within the next six months.

Despite this high demand, the research delivered a stern warning to carriers. In 11 out of 14 areas, users expect a range of third-party providers to deliver new services such as music, mobile email and location-based services within six months.

In contrast, mobile carriers were only deemed “most appropriate” to provide basic voice, SMS and MMS services.

The other service areas, where customers expect third-party providers to dominate, also include social networking, e-commerce and mobile payment, news, weather and sports information, and services to control home appliances.

 
 
Trust is high

The Nielsen survey also revealed some positive news for mobile carriers. Users know that today, carriers provide these new services in eight out of 11 areas. The survey also shows that globally, users’ trust in carriers is high, second only to banks.

Edward Kershaw, the EMEA vice president at Nielsen, said: “This research provides some clear insights into users’ attitudes towards their mobile operators and the services they offer. It shows that the mobile telecoms world is undergoing immense change as users discover and adopt new applications and services.”

For the research Nielsen surveyed a total of 15,000 people in 15 countries — Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Spain, the UK and the US.

“While users are positive about their mobile future, it’s becoming clear that operators must remain flexible and responsive to consumer demands in order to maintain their customers’ loyalty,” said Kershaw.

According to Nielsen, the research shows that users now more readily identify with third-party brands such as Google than with their mobile carriers.

But it also shows that carriers have an opportunity to make the most of today’s positive position — they are highly trusted by their customers.

 
 
Customer expectations

“Clearly consumers are clamouring for smart, personalised mobile internet services,” said Tellabs CEO Rob Pullen. “But consumers have brought expectations from the fixed-line internet to the mobile internet.”

He said that “if carriers want to stay in the game and avoid becoming ‘dumb pipes’ they … need to act now — and act fast.”

According to the report, users expect carriers to concentrate on providing the best-possible prices, network coverage and reliability. But it also shows that 63% of subscribers would use smart mobile internet services in the future: services tailored to their personal preferences, location, time of day and social setting.

Nielsen surveyed 1,000 mobile phone owners in 15 different countries during the period November 9-22 2009 with the sample quota recruited to match mobile populations. Respondents were emailed and asked to answer a 15-minute online questionnaire.

The survey covered current users — those mobile phone users who are currently using mobile applications and services — and those who are planning to use mobile applications and services in the next six months.

It asked about smart, personalised mobile phone services, delivered by mobile operators, that could be tailored to a user’s personal preferences, including services such as text messages from a favourite store about a sale.

The survey asked about fixed and mobile internet connections and about next-generation mobile services such as services such as mobile payment, location and navigation services and using mobiles to control devices and applications at home. GTB