IMRB

The World Of 3nity

The recent auction of 3G spectrum and rollout of services by operators will see the delivery of a wide range of next generation services, such as video streaming, movie downloads, video calls, etc. which were not present till now. To provide critical insights to close in the strategy for deployment of 3G services, The eTech Group@IMRB, active in the area of Telecom related market research for several years now, has carried out a Syndicated Study on 3G Mobile Services in India christened “The World Of 3nity”. The first round of the study has been conducted amongst as many as 10,000 mobile subscribers and 1,520 establishments across top cities in India which are Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Ahmadabad, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The study also covers views of several industry experts on the India 3G market.

Deepak Halan Group Business Director eTech Group - Telecom & e-governance Practice IMRB International said "Of the 10,000 mobile subscribers interviewed face to face, only 9% own a 3G enabled handset, but 82% are willing to switch to a new (3G enabled) handset to avail 3G services, provided it lies in the Rs. 4200- 6400 price band. This is in line with the fact that Indian handset manufacturers have already started offering 3G enabled handsets at 'middle class affordable' prices. 32% are aware of 3G mobile services. Amongst those who are aware, 93% (highest) associate video calling with 3G while 2% (lowest) associate adult content with the service"

Here is what an industry expert had to say about other 3G services "Purely utilitarian stuff like traffic signal, map, directions, facilities, restaurants and purely entertainment stuff like gaming, infotainment will be very big. Casual gaming will dominate." The report also reveals even more interesting information - that while video calling may be the most awaited 3G application, the main reason why people would even consider subscribing to 3G services is that it is known to improve voice quality.

3G Mobile Services in India

In case of SMEs, the mobile usage today, is more restricted to voice. Other than that messaging is also being used especially by small enterprises. However the awareness of specialized enterprise applications such as ERP and CRM on mobile was found to be abysmally low. In order to increase penetration of 3G amongst enterprises, it is important to create higher awareness about how they can utilize 3G for business purposes.

While 3G services have been introduced in the country with great pomp and ceremony, there is a fair amount of uncertainty about consumer behavior. To what extent are consumers aware of 3G services? How many are likely to shift to another operator to avail 3G services with MNP now in place? How much premium are subscribers willing to pay to gain 3G access? What is the optimal price range for a video call and for. mobile TV monthly subscription? And what are the acceptability levels of pre/post paid mobile handset bundling concepts etc. The study conducted by IMRB International provides answers to all these questions and many more.

The Consumer segment study was carried out using random sampling with a minimum quota for some aspects such as SEC A, B, C & D and subscribers of the 3G spectrum winners while the Business segment study was done purposively amongst those involved with mobile/telecom decision making. The fieldwork was completed in Dec 2010.

About IMRB International

Established in 1971, IMRB International is a pioneer in market research. IMRB is a member of the Kantar Group, part of the WPP company. Kantar is one of the world’s largest consumer insight networks. IMRB's footprint extends across 26 offices in 14 countries – Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Netherland, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, South Korea, UAE and United Kingdom. With over 1200 full time staff, IMRB provides high quality conceptualisation, strategic thinking, execution and interpretation skills. IMRB International is the only research company in India that offers such a wide range of research based services to its clients. IMRB International's specialised areas includes consumer market research both quantitative and qualitative, industrial market research, business to business market research, social and rural market research, media research, retail research, and consumer panels.

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Seema Saini

Head Corporate Communications

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