Bubble bursts for mobile TV & web on the go

Mobile operators may promote new internet and mobile TV services, but it seems we're not that interested.

The use of advanced mobile services has declined since last year, according to a new survey by Continental Research. The proportion of people subscribing to and using multiple advanced features such as web browsing, ringtones and mobile TV has gone down, the report said.

Some12 per cent of the 1,000 surveyed mobile phone owners said they used their handset to access the internet, down from 14 per cent last year. Downloading ringtones has also decreased by 6 per cent, as has mobile TV, downloading and sending video, and subscribing to text information services.

On the other hand, photo messaging and games downloads are on the up - both by 1 per cent.

Small number of users

Despite the desperate efforts of operators to promote advanced mobile services, the number of customers actually signing up and using them is relatively small, said report author James Myring.

"Many mobile users are simply not interested in advanced mobile services," Myring said. "So in many cases, operators are simply knocking against a locked door."

According to the survey, 68 per cent of mobile phone users would rather have a cheaper and easier to use handset than one with lots of advanced features that they never use. Only a quarter, primarily younger users, said they would pay more for the latest mobile technology, or for a particular stylish handset.