Two surveys that are attempting to track what people want from the wireless Web have revealed that consumers value wireless access to e-mail.
Telephia Inc. is conducting a nationwide survey of wireless data users this month to try to find out how consumers are using the wireless Web and its related products and services.
The Strategis Group also released results from its “CellTrac: Cellular and PCS Consumer Trends” study. The report found wireless phone users want Internet access and are willing to pay more for the monthly service and handset.
The wireless Web is “the area of greatest interest right now because as carriers have improved their services on the voice side … I think the new differentiating point is who is going to be a success in making this (wireless data) a valuable experience for the customer,” said Alan K. Brune, director of marketing for Telephia.
Preliminary data released by Telephia revealed software, books and airline tickets are the top three items purchased by wireless Web users. When asked which wireless data services users are most interested in, more than 60 percent of the respondents said they would like to have e-mail with attachment capabilities. Web browsing and access to their company network also ranked near the top.
The price of services, slow data-transfer speeds and inflexible service pricing were given as the three most negative aspects of the wireless data experience, according to the survey.
The Strategis Group said it found that nearly one-third of the wireless phone users it surveyed said they would spend $13 a month more for Internet access and $61 more for an Internet-capable handset.
About 30 percent of wireless users are interested in a phone that would allow them to send and receive e-mail, and 49 percent of potential users are interested in wireless e-mail, according to the study.
“The fact that so many potential users are interested in wireless e-mail validates the findings from Europe and Japan,” said Elliott Hamilton, senior vice president at The Strategis Group. “New users are much more likely to depend upon wireless for all of their Internet and e-mail access, bypassing fixed Internet access altogether.”
Brune said a lot of the data Telephia collected is similar to what is found in the wireline space. However, “out of the top three responses, you’ll see differences in how people use the wireless phone compared to their wireline phone,” he said.
When completed, Telephia’s Wireless Internet E-trac survey will include responses from more than 2,000 users of personal digital assistant and Palm-like devices, two-way pagers and Internet-enabled handsets. The final results will be available to Telephia’s customers in June via an interactive Web portal, the company said.
The randomly selected participants were asked to comment on various areas of wireless data, including money spent, type of wireless device owned, frequency of use, reasons for selecting the device and satisfaction with device and service, among others.
For those who own an Internet-enabled device and have gone on to surf the wireless Web, there is a section of the survey that asks which sites they most often visit, and which sites they would like to visit but can’t, Brune explained.
