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Smartphone penetration in Singapore the highest globally: Survey

SINGAPORE — People in Singapore use instant messaging more frequently compared to their counterparts in South-east Asia, according to the results of a survey released today (Feb 11). The country also ranked highest globally for smartphone penetration, with nine out of 10 respondents having access to a smartphone.

Bloomberg file photo

Bloomberg file photo

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SINGAPORE — People in Singapore use instant messaging more frequently compared to their counterparts in South-east Asia, according to the results of a survey released today (Feb 11). The country also ranked highest globally for smartphone penetration, with nine out of 10 respondents having access to a smartphone.

The survey by Deloitte’s Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) revealed that females are more active users of instant messaging in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. Singapore clocked the highest frequency of usage, with 79 per cent of females and 73 per cent of males saying they used instant messaging on their smartphones over the past seven days.

The survey – which gathered 37,000 respondents across 22 locations – also revealed that people between the ages 25 and 34 are the most active users of instant messaging in Singapore.

In Singapore, instant messaging continued to rise in popularity: Usage increased 9 per cent on-year last year, while Short Messaging Service (SMS) usage has declined 8 per cent. The most common reason for using instant messaging among Singaporeans was because friends and family members were also using it.

EMAIL TRUMPS SOCIAL NETWORKS

Singapore bucked regional trends when it came to smartphone usage patterns. People in the Republic used their smartphone more often for emails than surfing social networks.

However, the survey revealed that people in Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand used their smartphones for social networks more often than for email.

GAMING – THE MOST POPULAR SMARTPHONE ACTIVITY

Playing games on smartphones emerged as the most popular activity among smartphone users across South-east Asia.

Indonesia came in tops, with 73 per cent of respondents saying they had played games on their smartphone over the past seven days. Singapore emerged third, with only 55 per cent of respondents playing smartphone games over the past week.

WHY SWITCH TO ANOTHER TELCO?

Reliability of data network emerged as one of the top reasons for changing providers, the survey revealed.

More than half of the Indonesians in the survey cited data reliability as the reason for changing their service provider. They were also the most dissatisfied with the speed and the quota or price of 2G/3G network subscriptions. Indonesian users were also the most likely to continue subscribing to 4G in future, as compared to Thailand and the Philippines.

Meanwhile in Singapore, there was a perceived decline in the quality of the 4G network. Respondents who found the 4G network faster than 3G dropped by almost 30 per cent on-year. At the same time, the number of people who believe there is no difference in speed between 3G and 4G rose by almost four times.

MOBILE ‘MONEY’ APPS

Using smartphones to check bank balances and make online purchases are the most common mobile payment activities, revealed the survey. More respondents used their smartphones to check bank balances as compared to making online purchases.

Indonesia was top in the usage of mobile “money” apps, with 56 per cent of respondents saying they have used their smartphones to check bank balances, and 30 per cent saying they have used their devices for online purchases.

However, Singapore trailed behind their South-east Asian counterparts, with only 52 per cent of respondents using their phones for checking bank balances and 38 per cent making online purchases with their devices.

The survey also revealed that games and applications are the most popular purchases made on smartphones.

Consumers were more welcoming towards the idea for mobile based in-store payment solution. Indonesia led with 76 per cent of respondents saying they would use their mobile phones to pay for purchases in shops, if there was such an option available. In Singapore, only 57 per cent of respondents said they would buy the idea. CHANNEL NEWSASIA

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