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Archive Category: Studies

Low-cost airlines, Internet sales reshaping travel

NEW YORK -- Easy access to cheaper airline tickets on the Web and the recent surge in low-cost airlines have already made significant changes in how consumers throughout the world view travel as routine, not a luxury. More and bigger changes are coming, according to a major new survey that shows just how quickly consumers perceive upstart airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet in Europe and Southwest and JetBlue in the U.S. to be gaining ground against their larger competitors.

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UK rail travellers want wireless broadband

LONDON -- Three out of four UK business rail travellers want to use Wi-Fi for Internet access on the move, believing on-train connectivity is a clear reason to choose rail travel over other forms of transport, according to research released by Broadreach Networks Limited. The findings come from the UK’s largest-ever study of the awareness and interest in Wi-Fi technology amongst business rail travellers, commissioned by Broadreach, the UK’s leading provider of Internet locations earlier this year.

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Voice-over Wi-Fi handsets to top 50 million by 2009

Although dual-mode cellular/voice-over Wi-Fi handsets will not be available until later this year, ABI Research is predicting that these devices will represent about 7% of all handsets shipped by 2009. Driving the near term interest in these phones are the enterprise user and the need for data-intensive applications. Ease of use, the convenience of mobility, and access to information stored on cell phones has made it more practical for office users to continue to use their cell phones versus switching to the enterprise telephone system when at the office.

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European mobile users resist 3G prospects

LONDON -- The results of a survey of mobile phone users in six European countries are coming as a shock to the industry, which has been investing heavily in new technologies and is just a few months away from the widespread launch of 3G across Europe. The message is clear that most users are saying "don't forget voice" and "I don't really need anything more than what I have now"

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Asia-Pacific leads the way for hotspot growth

LEDBURY, UK -- The Asia-Pacific region had the most dramatic spread of wireless LAN hotspots of anywhere in the world during 2003, seeing a more than ten-fold increase in hotspot numbers. According to figures from the BWCS Wireless LAN Continuum service, there were more than 21,300 hotspots in the Asia-Pacific region by end-2003, up from around 2,000 one year ago.

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Survey finds 50% of cellular users want LBS

BOSTON -- While application developers and the service provider community are focusing their resources on the deployment and marketing of infotainment services, "What Mobile Consumers Want," a new report from Strategy Analytics, indicates that the voice of the consumer -- and consumer demand for more practical services such as step-by-step directions -- is being overlooked. This information emanates from the Wireless Internet Applications (WIA) Service of the Strategy Analytics Global Wireless Practice, and is based on its latest end-user survey analysis.

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Tech-savvy Americans switching to wireless

WASHINGTON -- A new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that as people surround themselves with the latest technological gadgets and services, the landline telephone plays a less prominent role in their communication routines and the television recedes in importance as an information appliance.

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European Wi-Fi growing faster than in America

The growth of Wi-Fi in Europe is growing more rapidly than in North America, although there are some unsolved technical issues, according to two separate studies released this week. Frost & Sullivan, in its report, says the European WLAN public access hotspots market is starting to look like a hype bubble. Despite widespread failure to address the technical and business challenges that need to be overcome before the market can truly flourish, many players are viewing WLAN hotspots as an exciting business opportunity, with wide-ranging business models being debated.

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Global hotspots to exceed 45,000 by year end

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts -- According to the latest issue of Global Wi-Fi, the number of hotspot locations globally will surpass 45,000 by year end. More than half of these hotspots will reside in Asia, although the U.S. and Europe are gradually taking a larger share of the pie.

"By the end of 2002, there were less than 20,000 hotspots globally," said John Yunker, analyst at Pyramid Research. "The pace of hotspot deployment has quickened over the past three months. We are now on track to see more than 100,000 hotspots deployed by early 2005."

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Global travel industry embraces wireless

According to a new research study, emerging wireless technologies, new networks and smartphones will create a boom in applications for the frequent business travel and the leisure traveler. Travel Tech Consulting, Inc., a leading authority on emerging travel technologies and travel-related e-business, announced today the release of "Emerging Trends in Wireless Technology and The Global Travel Industry."

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Train hotspots worth US$420 million by 2008

LEDBURY, UK -- Train travellers will be spending US$420 million per year by 2008 on in-transit wireless LAN hotspot services, according to the latest report from W-LAN experts BWCS. Figures from Railway Wireless LAN Services indicate that within five years 625 million people will be travelling on WiFi-enabled trains around the world every year.
Train hotspots worth US$420 million by 2008

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Mobile usage higher at home than at work

FRAMINGHAM, Massachusetts -- Mobile users continue to take advantage of wireless network capabilities, but more so in their personal lives than in their professional lives. According to a recent survey of more than 2,500 members of IDC’s Mobile Advisory Council, 34% of respondents use a wireless 802.11 (Wi-Fi) LAN at home compared to 27% at work. These results confirm IDC's position that although Wi-Fi is being utilized more frequently by highly mobile individuals, business use of Wi-Fi, especially within the enterprise, is lagging behind home use.

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European WLAN access remains highest priced

LONDON -- Pricing in Europe for public access wireless local area networks (WLANs) remains the highest in the world, according to a new report issued by consulting firm BroadGroup. The report also forecasts that growth in hotspot deployment will increase across Europe by some 45% by the end of this year, across the companies surveyed.

The report, Public Access Wireless LANs: Pricing and Trends, has assessed and interpreted marketing strategies and pricing schemes across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, covering 87 players in 23 countries.

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Surveys shows travelers want more PDA services

DUBLIN, California -- A recent My AvantGo Travel Survey show that travel decisions are primarily driven by price, followed by schedule, convenience and frequent flier accounts. Online travel has grown so popular and convenient that nearly a third of respondents report that they purchased 100% of their travel online last year. The survey also found that more than 65% of survey participants would be interested in receiving travel discounts on their PDAs, while 67% desire flight delay notifications via mobile devices. Driving directions, weather, flight schedules, flight status and airport maps also top PDA wish lists.

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Less voice, more data seen for wireless profits

NEW ORLEANS -- As mobile operators and vendors gather this week at CTIA Wireless 2003, the trade show held by the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, analysis and consulting company Ovum sees merit in their strategy to decrease their reliance on voice revenues in favor of data services such as short text messages (SMS), wireless multimedia (MMS) and wireless instant messages (IM). 

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Wireless hotspot pricing varies widely worldwide

LONDON -- An analysis of pricing for public access wireless networks shows a wide disparity around the globe, with European providers charging far more than American and Asian companies, according to a new report by the consulting firm BroadGroup. The most popular locations for public wireless access are airports and hotels.

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Despite security issues, Americans plan to travel

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Despite continuing economic uncertainty and ongoing national security issues, a new independent phone poll of Americans commissioned by Travelocity indicates that an overwhelming majority of consumers are planning to travel in 2003 for business and leisure. Many of them will venture further from home than they did in 2002. Of those who have made some decision about their travel plans in 2003, 85 percent plan to travel and nearly half would still travel regardless of heightened homeland security levels.

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Big gains seen for wireless and handhelds in Asia

SINGAPORE -- Continuing its yearly tradition, IDC has released its top 10 predictions for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) market in the Asia/Pacific region for 2003.

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TIA study finds 30% drop in business travel

WASHINGTON -- As economic troubles continue, nearly half of all business travelers are using alternative technology in place of travel, according to a recent study. The Travel Industry Association of America’s (TIA) latest consumer poll, the Air Travel Survey, examines the possible reasons for the continued declines in air travel. Sponsored by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the survey was based on a representative sample of 4,000 travelers who have traveled by air at least once in the past year.

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Young Americans sending more mobile messages

SAN FRANCISCO -- The current marketing of new next-generation mobile handsets in the United States is likely to drive increased adoption and usage of mobile messaging services, such as SMS, according to a new study by Telephia, a leading provider of marketing and service quality intelligence to the mobile industry. Young American subscribers, who have doubled their text messaging usage in the past year, are positioned to lead the way in handset upgrades and will continue to drive usage in an area that is becoming a crucial new revenue source for the industry.

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Study finds trend toward simple wireless services

LOS ANGELES -- Telecom experts generally believe that information on demand and services that increase user convenience and efficiency are more promising avenues than entertainment on a wireless device, according to a new report by the Center for Telecom Management at the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business. The experts were not optimistic about m-commerce within the next year, citing obstacles like pricing, infrastructure deployment, and the need for new devices as a few of the challenges that need addressing before the potential of m-commerce can be realized.

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Europeans slow to adopt next generation phones

AMSTERDAM -- Europe's mobile industry is looking to a wide variety of GPRS and 3G services to drive the new revenues that it desperately needs to fund infrastructure investment. To drive the early uptake of new handsets and mobile applications, a new Technographics Report by Forrester Research advises operators and manufacturers to focus only on two specific consumer segments in the next 12 months.

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Despite criticism, wireless market progressing

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona -- Although the wireless data/Internet market has had to bear the brunt of some tough public criticism, it is steadily progressing, according to In-Stat/MDR. The high-tech market research firm reports that there are some very bright spots in the wireless data market. 

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European mobile subscriber growth stagnates

CAMBRIDGE, UK — Subscriber numbers in Western Europe's mobile telephone market will stagnate at around the 300 million mark for the foreseeable future, according to a new report released this week by Analysys, a global advisory firm on telecoms and new media. However, there are some positive signs for mobile operators, with the long-term decline in average revenue per user (ARPU) starting to level out.

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Hong Kong, Denmark lead in mobile Internet

GENEVA -- The International Telecommunication Union has released its first Mobile/Internet index as part of a 240-page research report entitled Internet for a Mobile Generation. The index measures how each of more than 200 economies are performing in terms of mobile and Internet technologies and how likely they are to be able to take advantages of new developments in this field.

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Survey finds women like mobile text messaging

IRVINE, Calif. -- In a recent national survey of tech-savvy consumers, women emerged as a driving force behind the growing popularity of two-way wireless short-text messaging service.

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Study finds mobile workforce growth continues

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- Although the September 11 attacks and concern about the economy have prompted companies to scale back business travel over the past nine months, the total mobile workforce continues to grow. Composed of more than the classic "road warriors," today's mobile workers may just be visiting a nearby site or even a conference room on another floor. Regardless of where they work, today's mobile worker has extraordinary access to resources made possible by the latest technology.

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California leads US in wireless technology

LOS ANGELES -- California is positioned to lead the United States in the development and implementation of wireless technology, according to the results of a study issued by the San Diego Regional Technology Alliance, O'Melveny Consulting and the California Manufacturing Technology Center (CMTC). 

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Study says SMS in Europe will continue to grow

AMSTERDAM -- New messaging technologies give users lower-price alternatives to expensive SMS, EMS, and MMS and will force operators to retool the value proposition of premium-priced messaging, according to a new report by Forrester Research. Messaging revenue will drop for the first time ever in 2004 as SMS traffic stabilizes at decreasing price points. Through 2007, the effective price per message of any type will face continued downward pressure, dropping 16% over five years.

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Consumers will pay for in-vehicle wireless

NEW YORK -- American consumers are willing to pay for wireless services in their cars that enhance driving and vehicle ownership, according to a new report on telematics by Jupiter Media Metrix, a global firm in Internet and new technology analysis and measurement. 

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Survey finds increasing travel demand

WASHINGTON -- The 2002 National Travel Monitor released today indicates that the travel industry is shaking off the aftershocks of the September 11 terrorist attacks and both business and leisure travelers expect to hit the road more in the months ahead. Lingering concerns about the economy, however, still represent a potential drag on travel demand. 

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British business travelers love their mobile phones

LONDON -- Half of British business travelers say that their mobile phone is the one item they couldn't live without while on a business trip, even more important than clean underwear, toothpaste and a razor, according to a survey conducted by Continental Research for Vodafone UK.

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Online travel traffic surges 12% in March

NEW YORK — Nielsen//NetRatings reports that traffic to online travel destinations surged 12% to 51.2 million surfers in March, as compared to 45.9 million in February. Surfers at home and work flocked to the Web to take advantage of early spring airfare promotions and special vacation packages. Nearly 43% of all Web surfers accessed an online travel site in March, as compared to 39% the month prior.

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Global travel study examines consumer behavior

BALTIMORE -- A team of anthropologists has studied global consumer experiences during business and leisure travel, and concluded that basic needs are not being met by the travel industry. This is one of the findings in a report issued this week by Carton Donofrio Partners, a marketing communications and brand experience design firm, and its ethnographic business unit, Context-Based Research Group.

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Case study shows details of online behavior

NEW YORK -- Americans who have been online two years or more and who say the Internet is an important source of entertainment on the job are far more likely to own a Web-enabled phone than people who are relatively new to the Web. But, they are only 15% of the total online audience. Although now only small part of the market, these tech-savvy consumers' demands for service is moving faster than the providers' ability to provide mobile services. 

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Survey says executives don't understand wireless

NEW YORK -- Senior business executives don't understand wireless technology, which is preventing adoption in organizations globally, according to a new survey by Deloitte Consulting. According to the survey, which polled 650 business executives across Europe, North America, and Australasia, 51% of respondents do not understand the benefits and uses of wireless technology, and that is the primary reason for the slow adoption of wireless. 

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Business mobile data has untapped potential

LONDON -- Findings from a survey on business mobile data, conducted by PA Consulting Group at the recent 3GSM World Congress, indicate that mobile business data is going to be more successful than vendors or operators currently think and in the consulting firm's view, this vital aspect of mobile communications should be higher up their list of priorities.

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Study finds Americans get more serious online

WASHINGTON -- As Americans gain experience online, they use the Internet more for their jobs, to make more online purchases and carry out other financial transactions, and to write e-mails with more significant and intimate content. According to a new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, purchases of travel services grew 59%, from 29 million people who said they had made such a purchase to 46 million.

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White paper on mobile travel technology future

i:FAO, a major provider of business travel electronic procurement software, has published a white paper on mobile commerce and business travel. The white paper, titled Personal Travel Assistant, addresses the current disorganization in the delivery of information to the traveler, and it also spells out the great potential for the mobile travel industry.

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Europeans will use mobile phones to buy travel

AMSTERDAM -- More than 23 million Europeans will use their mobile phones to buy travel products and services by 2005, according to a new study by IDC. Travel is the leading e-commerce product category on the fixed Internet in Europe, with purchasing of online leisure and business travel services becoming easier and more cost-effective than traditional channels. IDC believes this trend will be mirrored on the mobile Internet, despite the adverse effects of September 11 on the European travel industry.

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WLANs impacting growing public area access

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona -- The emergence of wireless connectivity to public area access has largely altered the structure of, and brought renewed attention to, the public area access market, according to Cahners In-Stat/MDR.

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Shift seen in global wireless and broadband

WASHINGTON -- The Strategis Group has announced several studies that are planned for release early this year, building on recent findings from the firm that point to dramatic market shifts in global telecommunications markets in 2002 and beyond.

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Global GRPS roaming required for success

CAMBRIDGE, England -- Enabling international roaming for general packet radio service (GPRS) is a prerequisite for the take-off of the new mobile data service, according to GPRS Roaming: Technical Options and Strategic Implications, a new report published by Analysys, a global advisor on telecoms and new media.

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WLAN growth seen for airports, public hot spots

WASHINGTON -- A new report by the Strategis Group concludes that the wireless local area network (WLAN) enterprise market is experiencing dramatic growth, led by the U.S. marketplace. In addition to increasing use of wireless network access in the enterprise, the number of public "hot spot" locations is expected to grow -- including such areas as airports or college campuses, where a high density of users will create demand for wireless network access.

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Yankee Group looks at local area public wireless

BOSTON -- While struggling with more pressing issues regarding next generation network infrastructure, mobile carriers are quietly investigating the opportunities presented by public wireless local-area solutions (PWLASs). In a new report entitled Public Wireless Local-Area Solutions, the Yankee Group looks at how mobile carriers are responding to the competitive threat posed by the emerging independent wireless ISP community, as well as to the potentially large market opportunity of the yet-to-be-defined PWLAS-WAN internetworking market. 

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Study finds increasing demand for world phones

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona -- As international travel growth continues the importance of always being in contact carries over from daily life into all travel situations. The demand for world phones will increase significantly over the next five years, according to Cahners In-Stat Group. The research firm forecasts that the total number of world phone subscribers will be approximately 91 million in the year 2005.

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Mobile operators need multimedia strategy

LONDON -- With approximately 667 million text messages sent across the globe every day, mobile operators have been reaping easy money from SMS, according to a new study by business intelligence firm Baskerville, a division of Informa Telecoms. The study also says collective failure to develop a cohesive multimedia messaging strategy means many of the world's operators risk stifling a potentially hugely lucrative market. 

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Growth seen in number of US wireless subscribers

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- Despite the economic downturn following the terrorist attacks and the resulting drop in travel and consumer spending, the wireless Internet is expected to have great growth. According to IDC, the number of wireless Internet subscribers in the United States will increase at a whopping compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 73%, from approximately 5 million in 2000 to more than 84 million in 2005. 

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Slow recovery forecast for traveler confidence

WASHINGTON -- More than a month of steep price-cutting by the travel industry and the efforts of public officials to encourage travel and tourism have begun making inroads with the public, but a core group of travelers still remains reluctant and does not see their business or leisure travel patterns resuming to previous levels for six months or more, according to a new nationwide survey by the Travel Business Roundtable (TBR).

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Despite airline difficulties, in-flight Internet will grow

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Despite current financial difficulties facing the airline and travel industries, long-term growth prospects for in-flight Internet to airline service remain viable, according to a market research report from Northern Sky Research. The report, entitled Internet Service to Airlines: Will the Service Take Off?, forecasts Internet to airline usage and subscriber revenues via an in-depth bottom-up top down methodology, assesses chances of success for the industry as a whole and for individual Internet to airline service providers, and examines service providers and technologies. 

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Study says in-building wireless will top $1 billion

PARSIPPANY, New Jersey -- The market for licensed in-building wireless infrastructure in publicly used buildings and areas is growing at 20% per year, and will exceed $1 billion for the period from 2002 through 2006, according to InfoTech, a global telecommunications consulting firm.

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Wireless transport systems are major new market

LONDON -- The market for information technology and wireless solutions in the public transport and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) sector is set to create a major new market worth $8 billion in the US and $5 billion in Europe, for technology vendors within five years.

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E-mail grows with more devices, mobile workers

E-mail is on the rise. According to a new report by IDC, a global market analysis firm, the number of worldwide e-mail mailboxes is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 138%, from 505 million in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2005. IDC says there are three factors responsible for the e-mail increase: Web services, wireless access, and workers without e-mail.

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PCIA study finds high demand for mobile services

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A new global study released today by the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA) and Yankelovich indicates that there are high levels of demand for advanced mobile services in every country surveyed. The most appealing transaction services included making travel reservations, buying airline and train tickets, locating movie theaters and purchasing tickets, and paying bills. 

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Growing number of US workers using wireless

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- U.S. businesses are allowing a growing number of employees to use a variety of wireless services, according to a set of recent reports from high-tech market research firm, Cahners In-Stat Group. In-Stat's research determined that roughly 47% of the U.S. workforce will have access to wireless voice, pagers and/or mobile computing devices, like Palm Pilots, by the end of 2001. 

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Jupiter sees $4 billion in m-commerce by 2006

NEW YORK -- Jupiter Media Metrix reported today that although the US has had the largest base of cell-phone users in the world, less than $4 billion in shopping and travel will be transacted on Internet-capable mobile phones in 2006, representing less than 2% of all online shopping. 

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