More Filipinos Owns a Mobile Phone
Despite the economic crisis our country is facing, most Filipinos owns a mobile phone. Most of them owns the low-end to mid-tier variety, those that doesn’t have internet capability or no camera.
According to a study of behaviors of consumers aged 15 to 64, mobile phone ownership in the country pegged at 69 percent compared to the 2007 to 2008 report which pegged at 60 percent.
Also for those phones with internet connectivity and/or camera, the ownership percentage has also increased from 29 percent to 31 percent this year.
“This increase in ownership is likely due to the sustained release of newer and more affordable cell phone models,’’ Synovate global executive director for media Steve Garton said in a statement.
According to the study of Synovate Media Atlas, 95 percent of respondents said that keeping in touch with their friends and family is the main reason why they own a mobile phone. Also, text messaging or SMS is the primary service they use which makes the country the “texting capital of the world”.
Other popular usage of the mobile phones included playing games (50 percent), taking pictures (40 percent), and listening to music (29 percent).
“For those who are heavily invested with their mobile phones, the results indicate how they have affected the Filipino lifestyle and how businesses can actually penetrate a huge chunk of the population via cell phones and SMS. Those who invest in understanding their consumers are the ones who will thrive in this increasingly competitive environment,’’ Synovate Philippines managing director Carole Sarthou said.
