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Media Coverage 2003 Globe and Mail - June 3, 2003 By JACK KAPICA Cellphone services are set to increase in popularity as teens develop an appetite for new features, a new survey says. Half of Canada's teens now own a cellphone, but are hungry for advanced features, said the survey, called In the Name Of Cool, a consumer trend study on technology, media and entertainment conducted by Solutions Research Group Consultants Inc. Nearly half (48 per cent) of Canadians between the ages of 15 and 19 now own a cellphone, up significantly from 30 per cent in 2001. One in four tweens, younger than the teens, own a cellphone, up from 6 per cent two years ago. "As adults' uptake of cellphones slows down to a trickle, twice as many teens and young adults have indicated they will buy their first wireless device in the next year," Kaan Yigit or Solutions Research Group said. "Youth and young adults will provide the momentum needed to drive the integration of the new advanced communication and entertainment features coming into the market." Among the features preferred by younger owners are: personalized ring tones (79 per cent interested among those 12 to 24 years of age); instant messaging (70 per cent); listening to MP3 music files (69 per cent)' wireless gaming (61 per cent); e-mailing (60 per cent); built-in digital cameras (58 per cent) and Web browsing (55 per cent). "While adults struggle with understanding the need to e-mail or access the Web from their wireless rather than waiting until they get to their home or office, young people will embrace the personal empowerment that mobile connectivity provides them," SRG vice-president Michele Erskine said. "The new expectation will be for instant and constant connectivity, free of the hindrance of a home or office base. The bar is about to be raised." In the cellphone market, Bell Mobility has a significant lead in adults, and the youth market (ages 12 to 24) is a four-way race with Rogers AT&T and Bell nearly tied for the lead, followed closely by Telus and Fido (Microcell), according to the study. The study is based on a telephone survey of 1,500 Canadians, aged 12 and older, conducted in February. The results of the survey are accurate to within 2.5 points for the population as a whole, 19 times out of 20. |