Telecom Lead Asia: Usage and performance are the two top priorities for Indian mobile Internet users, according to a survey by Signals Research Group – sponsored by Tekelec.
Usage-based pricing and paying for specific applications stand out as the preferred pricing concepts on a global basis.
Family sharing is the preferred pricing model in South Korea and comes in second out of seven in the United States.
Security (Remote Lock/Remote Wipe), Web Browsing, and E-Mail stand out as the preferred service bundles on a global basis. However, preferences differ significantly by country.
India, Brazil and South Korea are more consumer/entertainment oriented than the UK and the US. Top ranked services in Asia and South America include video and VoIP.
Usage is the top-ranked pricing concept in three of the five countries (India, UK, and US). It is the second ranked pricing concept in South Korea. It is the top-ranked concept on a composite basis.
Specific application is never the top concept, but is in the top three in every country except for India. It is the number two concept in Brazil and the UK and on a composite basis, according to a survey by Signals Research Group – sponsored by Tekelec.
Turbo Button is the bottom-ranked concept in every country, without exception, and on a composite basis. It is a definitive loser, at least with a general population. Casual Usage is in the bottom three in every country except for South Korea. It qualifies as a loser, as defined above, and comes in next to last (just before Turbo Button) on a composite basis.
The remaining concepts, performance, family sharing, and free access are interesting because they rank very differently by country. Performance is the top ranked concept in Brazil and the second place concept in India. It ranks third in the UK and on a composite basis.
Family sharing is perhaps the most widely variable. It is the top concept in South Korea. It is ranked second in the United States, where family data plans have recently been launched by the top two mobile operators. Family Sharing, interestingly, ranks next to last in the UK and Brazil.
The US and the UK differ significantly in the types of plans available to data users.
E-Mail does not achieve winner status but ranks highly is some countries (number one in the US and number two in the UK). It ranks moderately well in Brazil and India and poorly in South Korea. Email is very highly correlated with web browsing. People who value one tend to value the other. Both are productivity applications
Video (TV and movies) and VoIP both rank highly in Brazil, India, and South Korea. They rank unspectacularly (in the middle of the pack) in the US and the UK. The two services are highly correlated. Users who value one tend to value the other.
For service bundles, VoIP, Security, and Web Browsing are the top three services. Sports and Games are the ninth and tenth.
The UK and the United States are more productivity oriented in their overall preferences than Brazil, India, and South Korea, according to the report called “Mobile Broadband Pricing and Bundling – the Voice of the Consumer.”
India is the most enthusiastic country when it comes to purchasing specific bundles of services. Brazil is a close second. Both countries are enthusiastic about other pricing models as well. This may indicate that each culture is open to shopping for mobile broadband data deals and to purchasing services in non-traditional ways.
CONCLUSION
The two most popular pricing concepts on a global basis are usage-based pricing and pricing based on specific applications. In certain countries (e.g. South Korea and the United States) the concept of family data plans is popular.
The three most popular service bundles on a global basis are security, web browsing, and email. South Korea shows a strong interest in entertainment oriented offerings. Brazil and India show a similar interest. The UK and the US lean toward productivity-oriented applications.
One of the most popular service bundles is security (remote lock/remote wipe). It represents a value-added layer. Cloud (consumer) and Cloud (business) similarly represent value-added functionality.
Respondents across the board favor a plan with multiple service bundles of their choosing to a plan with a single service bundle.
A number of demographic and behavioral factors influence preferences in the pricing and bundling of mobile broadband services. These include consumer spending on Wi-Fi hotspots (cafés, hotels, etc.), the number of connected devices, age, household size, and the level of understanding by the consumer of sophisticated service concepts.
It is important to note that some factors that commonly drive consumer attitudes and behavior (income, education, and gender) were not nearly as influential as the items listed above in determining mobile broadband purchasing preferences.
Finally, the survey identified a segment of respondents who do not currently use mobile broadband with a tablet or a laptop but who do pay for connectivity at hotspots (cafés, hotels, etc.). This segment is ripe for new services. They have a demonstrated need and a demonstrated willingness to pay. They may represent a significant untapped market for operators.