Study shows nearly 50 pct of mobile users only use voice, SMS services

Around half of the people who use mobile phones still only use them for just conversations and traditional SMS text messages, a study published on Wednesday revealed.

The study conducted by GSMA Intelligence in the lead up to the 2017 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona identifies four groups of mobile phone users.

These are: aficionados (people who must use their phones), pragmatists, networkers and talkers.

Talkers are considered to be the least engaged mobile users and only use their phones to either made calls or to send text messages. Despite advances in technology, they still make up 47 percent of the market, the study found.

GSMA, which is the company that represents the interests of mobile users worldwide, believes this number will drop to 29 percent as users see the effects of "advances in mobile innovations, affordability and availability."

Traditional SMS messages are still more popular than internet protocol messaging in places such as France and the United States.

Along with South Korea and Qatar, the United States is one of the most important markets in terms of mobile engagement, the study showed.

The study also threw up some surprising facts, such as in Kenya and Tanzania, one in five adult mobile phone owners use their phone for financial services, while in India there is an important gender gap with women 43 percent less likely than men to use mobile internet. Endit