Crackberries

17/12/2014
European consumers are starting to regard mobile internet as a necessity
WHEN the first mobile phone call was made in 1973, few members of the public were interested in the new technology. Telecoms companies had to invent reasons to use them—for instance, that they could be used to call a friend to pass the time when stuck in a car during a traffic jam—in order to get sceptical consumers to adopt them. But now, most people in rich countries could not imagine life without one: there are now more active mobile-phone connections in America and Europe than people.

The rising importance of mobiles—not simply to make calls but to access the internet as well—partly explains why BT, a fixed-line telecoms firm, decided to make a £12.5 billion ($19.6 billion) bid for EE, Britain's biggest mobile operator, on December 15th. BT also hopes that the merger will allow the firm to profitably offer what is know as “quad-play” (a bundle of fixed and mobile phone calls, internet access and television), which will also help keep customers from switching away from its other products.
There is mounting evidence that mobile-internet access is becoming a more important part of this bundle. While a decade ago surfing the internet on a portable device was seen as a niche interest, it has now become a necessity. A new report published last week by BCG, a consultancy, says that Europe's consumers are now valuing mobile-internet access more highly than ever before. In a survey, more than 50% said they would be more willing to give up fast food, chocolate and alcohol than lose access to the internet on their phones (see chart). Worryingly, at least for the print publishing industry, more than half also said the same thing about books and newspapers. But reassuringly, for those using the continent's crowded public transport systems, only 9% said they would be willing to forgo their morning shower to be able to browse on the go; 14% said the same thing about sex. BT's £12.5 billion bet on EE is that these numbers will continue to steadily grow.

Fonte:http://www.economist.com/news/business-and-finance/21636318?fsrc=rss%3Ffsrc%3Dscn%2Ffb%2Fte%2Fbl%2Fed%2Fcrackberries

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