KARACHI: Pakistan embraced mobile broadband technology two months ago but over half of its smartphone users still access the internet through traditional Wifi, according to a post-3G study.
Android is the most popular mobile platform with majority of smartphone users being the younger lot, the study adds.
A majority of Pakistan’s smartphone users, 62.5% to be exact, connects with internet via Wifi mostly from home, while only a quarter of them use internet on the go.
In its study on smartphone usage, Grappetite – a mobile phone application developing company – finds that only 12% of smartphone users live without internet.
The company was founded by Gertjan Van Laar three years ago with its headquarter located in the Netherlands and a production office in Karachi.
With 68% of smartphone users on Android, Google’s mobile operating system dominates the country’s rapidly expanding smartphone market followed by Apple’s iOS (24%) and Microsoft’s Windows Phone (8%), finds the Dutch mobile app maker.
Grappetite’s study, released in the form of info graphics, also reveals that 77% of the country’s smartphone users age ranges between 21 and 30 years – an indication that smart devices are mainly used by the country’s young population. In contrast, those over 41 years of age comprise only 1% of total smartphone users.
The study also found that 41% users had over Rs500 monthly budget for mobile phone usage while 26% had less Rs150 monthly budget for their mobile phone needs. It also found that 60% of people used more than one handset mainly due to security reasons – mobile phone snatching is rampant in Karachi.
When it came to brand popularity, the survey revealed Samsung (34%) was on top followed by iPhone (24%) and Qmobile (21%). On app purchases, it said 16% buy apps regularly while 84% use only free ones.
Among the top five apps used by the respondents, Facebook (90%) was the most popular followed by gaming apps (72%), photo and video (64%), music and entertainment each (55%).
Published in The Express Tribune, July 10th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (24)
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In India, we pay Rs.150 per month for one GB for 3G connection that is more than adequate. Perhaps it is more expensive in Pakistan. How much do you guys pay? We are likely to have 4G shortly by Reliance that is going to be much faster / cheaper - sometime Jan 2015
People are already paying for internet in their home, so why pay extra to use 3G especially for Telenor which has expensive 3G (and it always keeps switching to 2G)? Sure if 3G were TOTALLY FREEE I would use it all the time, but since its expensive (Rs.15/day) its only used in emergencies.
If anyone has any queries regarding the research, i am here to answer :)
The author fails to highlight the reason for non-conversion to 3G. Apart from the apparent cost, what about the signals? I am a mobilink user, and I am sick of this now. Half of the time when I am at home, my phone keeps on switching between 3G and 2G, because 3G has very very weak signal and they keep on fluctuating a lot. As a result, 1. Frustration and curses for 3G, eventhou its free at the moment for Mobilink Users :) 2. Becaues of this idiotic signals vanishing..you cannot make normal calls, nor receive one. 3. Consumes battery more, since more energy spent on signals fluctuation.
Mobilink on the other hand keeps on insisting that all is well and confuse, "is this the phone set doing?"... I guess that's mobilink's fetish!!!!
All is Well. that's what the Mobile Services Provider Tells you when you call them and ask them that you have credited Rs100.00 few minutes back and now its all Gone. Please do keep in mind i haven't acquired the 3G or 4G service so far.
Oh ya guess what Sir you have been charged Rs23.00 for the Govt tax plus Misc Charges plus we also charged you with tax for the advanced balance you availed on which we charge the Misc + Govt Tax when we gave you that now we charged you all that again when we take that money back from you .
Sir you have subscribed for the unlimited calling offer but every time your connection is established we will charge you every time you will make a call to any other network there is Tax on that too.
Over All there are no Check and Balance neither do they have any code of conduct or we have such laws oh i am sorry, I forgot do not have such thing as Law. All i can say Hope they earned enough from us and might lower there Cost some day.
As per the 3G and 4G a most people still won't be using it on the way Because they don't want too be robbed on the Road for using it.
Same happened in India also when 3G was launched. Later on Operators were struggling to meet data traffic requirements.
Also PTA should do the survey of existing 2G services, it's worst.
one of the reason people are still using WiFi because 3G network is not covering all areas. for example i want to use 3G during load shedding but i cant because i don't get 3G signals inside my house. I am forced to use GSM.
@alann Q mobile is the same as micromax. They both get their phones from the same Chinese supplier and simply put their logos on and in it. Just shows how we undervalue our local companies. Q mobile may offer cheap phones but their price range allows for 95% of our population to avoid expensive foreign phones and actually afford one.
i think q-mobile and voice are giving us pretty good phones. double the specs at half the price of your samsungs and iphones - quad cores, hd displays, 8-13 MP cameras..what more do you want in 20ishK.
If you really hate to buy paki brands (ghar ki murghi daal barabar) then you have huawei too..tonnes better than micromax.
@Saad: Actually no, micromax has it's own manufacturing. They do not manufacture from china. Infact Google has now recognized micromax as a OEM. And they are building a new phone together which will be released this fall.
@Alann: Q mobile is micromax.
Simple reason: Just because of cost. Lower down the cost of 3G, then users will switch to 3G from WIFI.
No doubt over the time it will change the attitude but I think there is lake of awareness in the public due to lake of proper advertisement. In the start, some renowned companies allowed free 3G to the users, which was a peak time and tactic to penetrate in the market, but unfortunately so called free 3G was extremely poor quality fluctuates badly and no comparative high speed was enough to keep users away rather to convince. Despite of this if companies had provided a high speed stream just for a week with proper advertisement that may change the mind and perception of users significantly. It’s just a game by providing free beer and make them addicted then charge heavy, isn’t?
WhatsApp isn't one of the top 5 Apps?
It's way too early to conduct studies and draw conclusions. 3G services haven't even been made available in most parts of major cities yet!
Why doesn't this story mention the 3G coverage problems. I am using 3G but there are so many areas where i am getting only 2G reception. why would i expense in 3G if i get 2G most of the time. 2G charges were lower
It will take an year or two for most of the Pakistani users to switch their sets to 3G/4G completely.
Pakistan’s situation: 3G available but users connect through Wifi - Am I reading this topic?
It’s more like stats of smartphone usage.
@Alann: Micromax and Qmobile are the same. Infact many of their mobiles are exactly the same.
Both the companies have their contracts with chinese companies who just rebrand the phone to any name. So truly, if you want to launch a phone by Alann, China is the place
What has the title to do with the topic?
This might be a little premature. Attitudes will change over time as 3G/4G penetration improves and people need to use more apps on the go. Lots of people in developed countries also connect through wifi simply because data is expensive and its use has to be conserved.
So what is the reason for low 3G use? Actually we know the reason and it is the high price relative to the volume of data transfer offered. But it would be nice if the survey also asked that question so we know for sure.
Micromax should be introduced in Pakistan, Pakistanis will stop using that crap named Qmobile.