SINGAPORE (AFP) - Text messaging remains the most popular service for mobile phone users in the Asia Pacific despite offers for fancier applications such as email and gaming, an industry research group said.
International Data Corp (IDC) said its survey showed that less than 10 percent of mobile phone users are utilizing services other than the reliable short messaging system (SMS), or text messaging.
There had been hype that the humble SMS would be eclipsed by its more advanced cousins following the emergence of pricey third generation (3G) mobile phones and more advanced content applications.
But IDC said that the "latest findings reveal that, despite the proliferation of content-rich mobile data services, the adoption of advanced services such as mobile phone payment, online mobile gaming and mobile email have yet to reach noteworthy levels of usage."
IDC telecom analyst Karen Rondon added: "Improved adoption of different mobile data services will go hand in hand with the pervasiveness of mobile handsets capable of supporting such services as well as ease of use.
"The challenge therefore lies with service operators and mobile phone vendors to educate and accustom the market to the value proposition of such services and mobile devices that come with affordable price tags."
IDC's survey covered 4,056 urban Internet users in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.
Mobile phone penetration rates also rose sharply in 2005, IDC said, with the number of respondents who owned mobile phones reaching 90.2 percent, up from 80.2 percent in 2004.
"SMS (remained) as the most popular mobile data application, with 65 percent of the users sending text messages every day," IDC said.
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