A new global study on 3G usage has found that people are ‘largely negative’ about the technology, due to costing and rollout delays.
The report, Generation HERE commissioned by Motorola, polled participants from fourteen different countries, including Australia, for their usage habits and reactions to 3G.
“Thanks to delays in its rollout and grand expectations in many places before 3G was launched, and early issues with pricing, download speed, reception and ease of use, lots of people were – at best – lukewarm about the technology”, the report stated.
Generation HERE is thought to be the first known publication of its kind to define global perspectives and conduct motivated by 3G.
“This was a report about nuances,” said editor Peter Lyle. “Behaviour and adaptation, creative and unexpected usage. Ultimately it isn’t difficult to get statistics about penetration, but those statistics, although they still have relevance, do not tell the whole story of how a new technology impacts upon people’s lives.”
The study included examples of how 3G behaviour differed in each market, including a pair of grandparents in Japan who had two 3G phones, one for making calls, and another for use as a photo album of the grandchildren.
The participants consisted of focus groups with 16-25 year olds, local academics, ‘urban opinion formers’, and local specialist media.
The complete report, and a podcast featuring a discussion with Generation HERE researcher Stephen Armstrong, and are available at www.whatisrazrspeed.com.
