News

Asia set for smartphone boom

More than 40% of consumers in Asia are interested in purchasing a smartphone in the next year, according to Nielsen.

The survey, which was conducted in six local markets across the region, revealed that 24% of those surveyed already owned an iPhone or a Google Android alternative. Among those who don’t own a smartphone, 51% of Indonesians intend to purchase one in the next 12 months, followed by Thailand (47%), Vietnam (46%), Malaysia (45%), the Philippines (40%) and Singapore (39%).

Twenty-seven percent stated they will “definitely” or “probably” not buy a smartphone in the next year, peaking at 32% in Vietnam, 30% in Singapore and the Philippines, and 20% in Indonesia.

When choosing their preferred operating system (OS), 58% named Nokia Symbian. Thirty-seven percent selected Apple’s iOS, while 20% chose RIM’s Blackberry, 18% for Microsoft Phone 7 and 16% picked Android.

Text messaging is the most popular mobile activity, with 92% having sent at least one SMS in the last 30 days. This was followed by mobile web (50%), with 62% of the sample hoping to spend more time online in the next 12 months. Reading email, playing games and instant messaging rounded off the top five main activities. Twenty percent had downloaded a mobile app in the 30 days before the poll took place.

“Mobile devices will continue to see solid growth in the near future, although that growth will not be even across the region,” said Suresh Ramalingam, managing director, telecom practice, Nielsen, APAC and MENA. “The more sophisticated markets like Singapore will drive growth, while developing markets like Vietnam will grow more slowly.”

Jenni Baker, London