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Roaming: No vacation without handset

- Two thirds take their mobile phones with them on vacation
- 71 percent of vacationers call home several times a week
- ? SMS - youths’ favourite means of communication on vacation also

The mobile phone is an indispensable companion for many Austrians abroad: more than two thirds of vacationers have already taken their mobile phones with them on their leisure travels for the primary purpose of being reachable. Youths on vacation also prefer SMS. 41% of mobile phone tourists get information on the cost of roaming prior to their vacation, two thirds are relatively well informed about it.
Most Austrian mobile phone customers (68%) are not willing to do without their handsets during their vacation. Among contractual customers as many as 83% do not go on vacation without their handsets, in case of prepaid customers more than 50% (52%). These are the results of a recent study commissioned by ONE and carried out by the market research and polling institute Integral in April 2000. The telephone poll was carried out among 200 owners of contractual and prepaid handsets.
The mobile phone is a constant companion of travellers over 40 in particular: 80% put it into their suitcase. Among the group of 14 to 24 year-olds as many as two thirds take their handsets with them on vacation. 85% of those polled said they were vacationing at least once a year, one fourth even travels abroad three or more times a year.

On vacation, but in touch with home: Two thirds call home

Asked for the reasons why they take their handsets with them, 71´% state that they want to be reachable. 46% want to keep in touch with their families and friends. Two thirds (67%) actually have already used their handsets for making calls to Austria. Of „those calling home“ 71% make calls to Austria several times a week, one fourth at least once a day. In the case of prepaid phones calls are made much more rarely: only 42% of prepaid customers, but 82% of mobile phone owners with a contract contacted „those left behind“.

On the other hand, more than two thirds (69%) are already being called from Austria in their vacation resort - once again clearly more contractual customers (82%) than prepaid customers (47%). Two thirds of „those called“ (65%) replied to the question who had to cover the costs in case of a call from Austria: both parties.

SMS and the voicemail box are „stepchildren“ still

35% check their mailbox, those who use it do so intensively: 83% check their box several times a week. Mailbox-rejecters either state that checking their box is too expensive (37%) or not working (18%). The SMS boom also subsides once the border is crossed: Only one fourth of „mobile phone tourists“ has already sent SMS from abroad to Austria (only one third of contractual customers). SMS is significantly more popular with youths (until age 24): 70% communicate more often by means of SMS than phone calls.

Highly cost-conscious while on vacation

„Handset rejectors“ who would rather leave their mobile phones at home justify this decision saying that „they do not need it“ (one third). 28% simply consider it „too expensive“.
A small minority (2%) was not even aware that mobile phones also worked abroad.
Austrians are particularly cost-conscious when it comes to making calls in foreign countries: 41% of those who take their handset with them abroad say they get information on their network operator’s roaming tariffs beforehand – in this respect contractual customers and prepaid customers balance each other. However, one third admits to have underestimated the cost of calls made in foreign countries.
Among those polled who make calls from abroad to Austria on a regular basis, the large majority (78%) does not specifically choose a network operator in the foreign country, but accepts the set one.

Roaming - the decisive factor

For as many as 15% of the contractual customers polled, roaming agreements play a role in choosing their network operators. Only 6% of prepaid handset owners base their decision on this criterion. Only every other owner of a prepaid handset knows that he or she has to separately apply for roaming with his or her network operator.