เทเลนอร์เจาะลึกเทรนด์การใช้โทรศัพท์เคลื่อนที่ของคนรุ่นใหม่ในประเทศไทย

– Telenor’s research arm announces findings of Thai study revealing insights into how the mobile phone has become an integral part of the life of young Thais

– Calls preferred to texting – number of Thai people preferring to call rather than send an SMS significantly higher than in other countries

– 49% of young Thais change their mobiles to keep up with new styles

– Mobile mania – young Thais spend an estimated 15% of their monthly budget on mobile phones, the second highest expense after food

(Bangkok, 20 January 2009) The research arm of Telenor, Telenor Research & Innovation Centre Asia Pacific (TRICAP) has released the results of its ongoing research into mobile communications and internet habits in Thailand. Focusing on the youth segment, the study sheds light on the vital role played by the mobile phone in the life of young Thais while also revealing fascinating cultural insights about how the mobile phone is used and embraced in Thailand.

Research by TRICAP in Thailand began in 2006 and is conducted in partnership with Synovate. Results to date have been based on interviews with 1,148 urban Thais with ages ranging from 15 to 29 years. Studies comprise both quantitative and qualitative research methods allowing for a broad, deep understanding of the attitudes of young Thais regarding all aspects of mobile and digital communications.

One interesting trend that was clearly identified through the survey was the remarkable preference of young Thais to communicate with their friends via voice calls rather than sending SMS messages. In Thailand, the average number of SMS messages sent per day was just 3 compared to 18 in Malaysia, 6 in Pakistan and 5 in Bangladesh. Furthermore, 93% of Thai respondents mentioned that they preferred to call rather than send an SMS.

Jens Olav Bjornson explained, “This preference of Thais to make calls rather than sending SMS messages is indicative of the strong sense of togetherness amongst young Thais. It is evidence that they highly value the personal touch of a voice call over the less intimate method of SMS communication which is preferred by young people in other countries.”

The research confirmed that style is an important consideration for young Thais when choosing mobiles. Many respondents remarked that they are looking for handsets that set them apart from their peers with 50% commenting that they are looking to upgrade their phones within the next 6 months. The average length of time respondents keep their mobiles for is 1.52 years while the main reason given for changing phones was “the style is out of date” (49%).

The dependency of young Thais for their mobiles was clearly demonstrated through the study by the fact that mobile phones account for the second biggest expense (15.07% of monthly budget) of the participants in the study, second only to food (32.67%) and ahead of transportation, entertainment and other bills.

Additional study findings showed that Thai youth keenly embrace new technology with 78% believing that technology makes their life easier and 67% believing technology is an integral part of their lives. On a regional level, young Thais are among the most advanced when it comes to technology adoption with Thai youth using their mobiles for much more than simply communicating: 52% use their mobile for gaming, 29% for listening to music and 55% share files between mobiles through Bluetooth technology. 16% of respondents also claimed to use their mobile phone to interact with TV programs either by calling or sending SMSs to vote for TV reality shows.

“Asian youths are early adopters of new technology and share similar development patterns as those in Western Europe,” said Jens Olav Bjornson, Managing Director, TRICAP. “Typically, young people are adventurous and enjoy testing the latest gadgets. Young people are also likely to teach and convince their parents, aunts and uncles and even their grandparents to try out new technologies. This is why it is so important for us to have a good understanding of how young people around the region are using mobile communications. TRICAP research provides Telenor with really valuable data which can help companies in the Telenor group, such as DTAC in Thailand, to identify new products and services to offer to consumers,” added Bjornson.  

The study also investigated how the internet and online technologies are being used in the lives of young Thais. Close to half of those interviewed commented that they regularly access the internet (around 20 days a month) with the top five uses being reading current affairs, emailing, surfing the web, playing online games and downloading music.

Finally, the social networking habits of young Thais were also explored. The main reason for using social networks was for sharing information with some respondents noting that they find online tools as a great way to make friends with people who share similar interests.  Many also perceive social networking as another hobby to pursue in spare time and to help enhance computer skills with one respondent commenting “I think its fun and ask my friends to teach me about it after school. Reasons for joining social networks included “it is a way of bonding with friends who I don’t have the chance to see very often.” and “I use MySpace to upload my pictures when I travel up country so that my friends can find out what I am up to.”

Reasons given by a minority of respondents for not joining social networks were “it is too complicated” and another young man claimed “It (social networking) is a girl thing. Guys like us are not keen to write small, insignificant things down.”

Additional findings

What participants in the study said about mobile phones:

– Life companion: “Mobile is more than a phone – its part of my life”

– Friendship enabler: “When I’m lonely I take out my phone and scroll through my phonebook to see who is available to chat”

– Safety: “It is dangerous these days and having a phone with me makes me feel more at ease.

– Entertainment: “If I feel bored I just play games or listen to music on my mobile.”

– Secretary: “It is my secretary (among workers) – I put appointments in my phone and keep colleagues contact details there. Also, sometimes download work emails.”

Mobile phone features

– The most important “must have feature” is ability to play games (85%) followed by MP3 functionality (75%).

– Mobile data function is most commonly used by 18-24 yrs male group for checking ‘urgent’ news such as football scores.

Most common reasons for sending an SMS:

– “To say hi” (87%)

– “When I can’t reach someone after calling” (45%)

– “Planning to chat online with someone” (21%)

– “To check what girlfriend / boyfriend is up to” (17%)

About Telenor

Telenor is one of the world’s largest mobile operators, and one of the fastest growing providers of mobile communications services worldwide. The company is also among the largest providers of TV, broadband and telephony services in the Nordic region.

Telenor has mobile operations in some of the world’s fastest growing markets as well as in the most advanced markets. The company holds altogether ownership interests in mobile operations in 12 countries, constituting a total subscription base of more than 159 million. In Asia, Telenor has ownership interests in DiGi (Malaysia), DTAC (Thailand), Grameenphone (Bangladesh) and Telenor Pakistan.

For more information, please visit www.telenor.com

About DTAC

Total Access Communication Public Company Limited, or "DTAC", is one of the leading mobile operators in Thailand. Founded in August 1989, DTAC has since then played a leading role in the local mobile telecommunication market, gaining considerable brand presence and market share. It delivers high quality, excellent value and innovative services to customers.