Press Release

ONE Mobile Telephony Barometre: Cost control is particularly important for young people

An important issue regarding the use of post-paid mobile phones is cost control. One in ten post-paid customers admits to find it difficult to estimate the mobile telephony costs in advance. The percentage is even higher in the group of 14 to 19 year-olds. People who believe that Austrians do not have a firm grip on their mobile phone costs are mistaken, however: The overall amount of the mobile phone bills for Austrian mobile phone owners may be estimated well in advance.

The current ONE Mobile Telephony Barometre conducted by the market and opinion research institute Integral in August 2005 in the course of which 850 Austrians, customers of all Austrian mobile telephony operators, starting from the age of 14 were interviewed, was concerned with the cost estimates of private customers in the mobile telephony sector. The results certify that Austrians overall fare well when it comes to estimating their mobile phone bill. The results show that the tariffs of Austrian mobile telephony providers are transparent for about 90 percent of those surveyed. Nonetheless: As many as 10 percent of post-paid customers have difficulty in estimating their costs.

Estimating mobile phone costs in advance
The amount of their mobile phone costs can be estimated in advance by Austrian mobile phone customers from the age of 14: 47 percent state they are able to estimate their costs “accurately”, another 42 percent “rather accurately”. This indicates that a substantial part of Austrian mobile phone customers have a good understanding of their personal tariff schemes. However, as many as ten percent of post-paid mobile phone customers indicate to have difficulties in this regard. Consequently 5 percent of those surveyed “rather cannot” and another 4 percent “cannot at all” estimate their costs. In the group of 14 to 19 year-olds, even 14 percent “rather cannot“ or “cannot at all“ estimate their mobile phone bill.

For the majority the monthly bill is not a problem
For two thirds of post-paid mobile phone customers the amount incurred on a normal monthly bill does not form a problem. For one in five customers, it is, however, close to the limit of what they are willing to spend for their mobile phones, and another 9 percent state that their expenses are beyond budget. And here once again the rule applies: The younger the people are, the more difficulties the amount of the monthly bill brings. Thus one in four under the age of 30 has problems: for 20 percent the regular monthly bill is close to the limit of what they can afford and for another 12 percent it even surpasses the intended expenses.

Instruments of tariff advice and cost control
About 70 percent of mobile phone customer state that their tariff and telephony behaviour are well harmonised, for 30 percent a need for a comprehensive tariff assessment was identified. One in five assumes there is a better tariff offer for him, particularly among younger people surveyed (26 percent of 14 to 29 year-olds). Spontaneous knowledge of cost control instruments is little as was to be expected. In most cases the service bill is used to check costs, then Quick Check, i.e. cost control via SMS, followed by the online administration tool.

17 percent of Austrian mobile phone customers would like to have more information on how to control costs, and once again above all younger people. Four in ten mobile phone customers are “very” or “rather” interested in comprehensive tariff advice. The most interested among post-paid users are younger people.

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