Mobile network usage for internet on smartphones dips to 55%

Smartphone users at a telecom event
Mobile network usage in India for accessing the internet on smartphones declined to 55 percent in 2015 from 57 percent in 2013.

Wi-Fi usage in India has increased to 45 percent in 2015 from 43 percent in 2013, according to the Deloitte Global Mobile Consumer Survey.

Mobile network usage for accessing the internet on smartphones declined to 55 percent from 57 percent.

“With e-commerce and mobile commerce on the rise, Indian consumers are becoming data hungry. There is huge scope for mobile carriers and network operators to monetize this opportunity. Telecom network operators need to optimize networks and infrastructure to meet consumer expectations,” said Santosh Anoo, senior director at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India.

The rate of using voice calls and SMS has declined around 20 percent in the last two years while Instant Messaging and Voice over IP grew by 10 percent and 22 percent, respectively.

“In the coming years, the quality of network for internet will be more important than the quality of network for voice calls,” he said.

About 28 percent of smartphone owners in India look at their devices at least 11-25 times a day, while 22 percent check their phones at least 26-50 times a day, a study said on Monday.

About 78 percent of smartphone owners in India check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up while more than half check within five minutes.

52 percent of smartphone users check their phones within five minutes before going to sleep every night.

Communication services, namely mobile IM, social networks are the first thing consumers check on their smartphones in the morning. These are followed by emails and SMS.