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French shun mobile Web, but SMS use rockets

French mobile users are still showing little interest in mobile Internet or TV, but text messaging is on the up, according to the latest figures released by ARCEP on Wednesday.

The announcement came just a day after the regulator revealed that it has launched a public consultation into 3G network sharing in France, in a bid to facilitate the spread of 3G coverage.

"Few of the people questioned said they used their mobile phone for surfing the Internet, for checking their emails, or for watching television," ARCEP said, presenting the results of its annual market study.

ARCEP and the Conseil General des Technologies de l'Information (CGTI) commissioned CREDOC to survey a representative sample of 2,221 people of aged 12 and above in June this year.

The survey showed that just 6% of people who own a mobile phone use it to surf the Web, while only 2% watch mobile TV.

But, buoyed by flat-rate tariffs, the SMS market continues to grow, with the average number of messages sent rising to 19 per week, up 25% from 14 per week in the previous year's study.

The boom in SMS was driven entirely by young users, attracted by unlimited text packages, ARCEP said. Adolescents estimate that on average they send 48 messages per week.

Mobile penetration rose by three percentage points to reach 78% by mid-year, but the number of mobile-only households remains static at around 15%. Two thirds of adults have both a fixed-line phone at home and a mobile.

The halt of fixed-mobile substitution (the number of adults with a fixed-line phone had fallen as low as 82% in 2005) is evidence of the success of tariff packages that include broadband Internet, unlimited fixed-line phonecalls to certain destinations, and TV, the regulator reported.

Meanwhile, the growth of voice over broadband has been rapid, with 37% of respondents using such services. On the other hand, peer-to-peer Internet telephony services such as Skype have failed to develop in the same way, with usage limited to one person in 10.

In a separate announcement on Tuesday, ARCEP revealed that it has opened a public consultation into 3G network sharing.

The sharing of 3G facilities is already possible in France. This consultation centres on how ARCEP regulates the way in which 3G networks are shared, the announcement said.

ARCEP said the move is designed to facilitate the spread of 3G mobile coverage throughout the country.

Источник: Total Telecom

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