Abstract
Now that wireless service is used by a majority of the people in the US,
wireless carriers need to examine more closely the characteristics of the
diverse groups that make up this market. Based on an extensive survey of over
1,500 cellular customers, this report focuses on mobile users aged 50 and
older. This segment of society is the fastest growing in the United States,
with more than 12,000 people turning 50 every day. This report- one in a
series of five- provides a detailed snapshot about monthly spending on voice
and consumer behaviors and preferences regarding:
- Service plans, family plans, and the use of multiple phones
- Data services and prices paid for these services
- Spending on current and future handsets, as well as desired handset
features
- Adoption of other consumer technologies
- Personal vs. business use of wireless
This report will be important for wireless carriers, mobile application
developers, handset vendors, chip makers, advertisers, and others who need a
clear understanding of consumer preferences of wireless users.
Table of Contents
In This Update
- Introduction to Update
- Executive Summary
- 50 to 54 Age Group
- 55 to 64 Age Group
- 65+ Age Group
- Older (50 and Older) Adult Demographics
- Expenditures and Usage
- Monthly Voice and Data Expenditures
- Family Plans
- Multiple Handsets
- Current and Future Spending on Wireless Phones
- Historical Spending Trends
- Wireless Phone Features
- Consumer Loyalty and Satisfaction
- Mobile Data
- Spending on Mobile Applications
- Conclusions
- Methodology
List of Tables
- Table 1. Customer Satisfaction with Wireless Provider by Age Segment
- Table 2. Summary of Findings
- Table 3. Technologies Used by Respondents
- Table 4. Historical Total Mean Monthly Wireless Spending 2004- 2007
- Table 5. Prepaid vs. Postpaid Spending by Age Group
- Table 6. Incidence of Family- or Group-Rate Plan among Respondents
- Table 7. Mean Number of Family Members on Family- or Group-Rate Plan
- Table 8. Phone Features in Current Handset
- Table 9. Features Users Would Pay More For in Next Handset (Base: Planning
to Purchase New Phone within Two Years)
- Table 10. Historical Total Customer Satisfaction
- Table 11. Customer Satisfaction by Age Distribution
- Table 12. Current Use of Mobile Data on Wireless Phone
- Table 13. Applications Accessed in the Previous 12 Months (Base:
Respondents Who Reported Using Mobile Data)
List of Figures
- Figure 1. Mean Income for Full-Time Workers and Survey Respondents
- Figure 2. Monthly Minutes Used
- Figure 3. Respondents Who Use More Than One Mobile Phone
- Figure 4. Historical Mean Phone Purchase Price 2004- 2007
- Figure 5. Mean Spending on Current Wireless Phone vs. Mean Spending on
Future Wireless Phone
- Figure 6. Months Since Phone Purchase vs. Months Until Next Phone Purchased
- Figure 7. Users Planning to Switch Carriers in the Next 12 Months
- Figure 8. Respondents Using and Paying for Mobile Data Services
- Figure 9. Monthly Spending on Mobile Data
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