Seventy four percent of smartphone users in the United States are interested in a mobile operator-provided service that uses Wi-Fi to provide lower cost calls, according to a recent MarketTools Zoomerang survey of 420 smartphone owners. The survey, commissioned by Kineto Wireless, also showed 72% of smartphone users are interested in an application that uses Wi-Fi to improve cellular coverage.
Additional highlights from the online survey conducted May 2011 include:
Forty-four percent of iPhone owners would “definitely” be interested in an application that could be used to boost mobile coverage; and 47% would “definitely” be interested in a Wi-Fi service offering discounted calling.
Thirty percent have smartphones with a Google Android operating system (OS); 26% use iOS; and 22% use a RIM OS.
Nearly nine out of 10 (89%) of respondents have smartphones with Wi-Fi.
Seventy-seven percent have Wi-Fi at home; 54% have it at their place of work.
Sixty-two percent of people who own smartphones with Wi-Fi use the Wi-Fi four or more days each week.
Thirty percent say they use Wi-Fi because it is faster than the cellular network; 19% because it is easy to access the internet.
Of T-Mobile subscribers, 55% use Wi-Fi on their smartphones four or more days each week or every day, 24% because it is easy to access the Internet. Of AT&T subscribers, 68% use Wi-Fi on their smartphones four or more days each week or every day, 32% because it is faster than the cellular network.
— Dennis Sellers
