Global Mobile Consumer Trends, 2nd Edition: Mobile Continues Its Global Reach Into All Aspects of Consumers' Lives

Global mobile consumer trends,
2nd edition
Mobile continues its global reach
into all aspects of consumers’ lives
Proposal title goes here |
Section title goes here
Mobile devices are now a fixture of modern life. So much

so, that people without access to mobile devices are
severely limited in their ability to participate in the full
spectrum of today’s economic and societal activities.
Mobile is now enabling consumers all over the world
to not only communicate more effectively, but pay
bills, shop, and even remotely control devices in their
homes and cars. And mobile continues to provide new
opportunities to grow markets for those who are bold,
innovative, and informed.
Deloitte’s global Telecom sector practice has been

taking the pulse of consumer attitudes towards mobile
technology for six years. Covering 31 countries on 5
continents with 53,000 respondents, the second annual
global comparison offers a wide-ranging view of mobile
use in the developed world while offering a snapshot of
consumer activity in some key developing markets. But
whether in an emerging or mature economy, the survey
confirms that mobile has become increasingly pervasive
and indispensable, with consumers the world over
enthusiastically embracing its potential.
03
Global mobile consumer trends
Contents
4G: fueling the smartphone 06

Smartphone addiction 08
From function to fun 10
IoT’s incipient opportunity 13
Safe and secure? 16
Making the most of mobile device sales 17
04
Mobile: a part of modern life

Perhaps it’s no surprise that roughly four decades after the introduction of the first mobile phone, almost every
developed country surveyed has at least 90 percent mobile phone penetration.
Smartphone ownership
Developed Developing
Any mobile phone 91% 90%
Smartphone 80% 82%
96% 96% 94% 94% 93% 93%

100%
89% 92% 92% 92% 94% 93% 95% 95% 92% 92% 93% 93%
87% 87% 86%
83%
80% 72%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Q. Which, if any, of the following devices do you own or have ready access to?: Any mobile phone, Smartphone.
Base: Avg. per country 2200
Walk down any street, enter any restaurant, sit on any bus, and you are sure to find at least 9 out of the 10 people
on their mobile phone. Whether it’s for texting, surfing the Internet, or watching a favorite show, the mobile device
is now a fixture of modern living.
While the smartphone’s penetration is a bit less globally, the fact that the modern smartphone was introduced just
about a decade ago and has already reached penetration rates into the mid-80s (%), is comparably astounding.
Also, while several years back it would not have been surprising to see a vast disparity between countries in terms
of smartphone penetration, we’ve seen the gap across the globe for smartphone penetration close considerably
over the last few years. The average difference across most countries now amounts to roughly 10 percent or less.
05
4G: fueling the smartphone
Giving the smartphone a boost is the growing availability of 4G connectivity across the globe. Mobile networks
such as 4G/LTE have begun to catch up with Wi-Fi as the preferred means of connecting to the Internet from
mobile devices. While some countries began deploying 4G years ago and now have mass market coverage (i.e.,
the U.S.), the last year has seen 4G access grow across the board to more than 50 percent penetration in most
countries.
Smartphone network connectivity: 4G or not

Yes 59% 56%
No 26% 36%
Don’t know 15% 8%
100%
80%
60%
88% 87%
40% 80%
70% 68%
62% 61% 62% 64%
56% 56% 57% 53% 54%
52% 51% 51% 50%
20% 40% 45% 43% 44%
38%
0%
Q. Is your mobile on a 4G/LTE network?

Base: Avg. per country 1587 (smartphone owners only)
What’s even more shocking however, is that in a majority of countries that have 4G, its performance exceeds
Wi-Fi—with 4G speeds rating “faster” than Wi-Fi.
4G vs. Wi-Fi at home: Is 4G faster or slower?

Net: 4G is faster 27% 37%
Net: 4G is slower 20% 24%
60% 55%
50%
38% 39%
40% 35%
34% 33% 32% 31% 32% 32%
28% 29% 28%
30% 25% 26% 25%
24% 24% 24%
21% 21%
19%
20%
14%
10%
0%
Note change in scale
Q. How do the 4G speeds on your phone compare with Wi-Fi speeds in the following places?: At home (FASTER, SLOWER: NET)
06
This is especially true in the developing countries, where even more consumers—nearly 40 percent—say their 4G
is faster than their at-home Wi-Fi connections.
4G is also enabling wearables, such as a fit band or a smart watch, which are gaining in popularity with consumers.
Fit bands are taking the lead in most countries at 9 percent, with generally more expensive smart watches lagging a
bit, with a few exceptions (South Korea seems to share a preference for smart watches with Argentina, Brazil, and
Mexico). Of particular note is the popularity of both items in Russia and China, where uptake is greater than any
other country—by a fairly large margin. Wearables are being seen as an important investment area given the
penetration levels mentioned previously, approaching saturation points in many countries.
Device ownership: Wearables

Smart watch 5% 11%
Fit band 9% 9%
Other wearables 1% 2%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Q. Which, if any, of the following devices do you own or have ready access to? : Smart watch, fitness band,
other wearable device.
07
Smartphone addiction
Consumers” (eliminate “While addiction may be a strong word, consumers today check their smartphones with an
almost round-the-clock regularity. Consider that more than one-third of consumers worldwide said they check
their phone within five minutes of waking up in the morning.
First access with in 5 minutes

33% 50%
70% 64%
60%
60%
52% 54% 51%
48%
50%
39% 40% 40%
40% 34% 35% 34%
33% 32%
29% 29% 31% 29% 29% 31%
30%
23% 23%
20%
20%
10%
0%
Q. How many times would you estimate you look at your phone in a day?: NET 50+ times
Nearly half check their phone sometime during the night.
Access at night
Don’t access at night 57% 28%
Access for something 40% 70%
100%
29% 33% 32% 34% 34% 30% 29%

80% 37% 41% 40% 35%
44% 45% 47% 50% 52% 54%
63% 68%
68%
60% 83% 81%
86%
40%
20%
0%
Q. Which of the following activities do you do if you check your phone in the middle of the night? If you work during the night,
please think about the time when you are sleeping during the day.
08
And around 20 percent of consumers check their phone more than 50 times a day—that’s once about every 20
minutes of every waking hour—assuming these consumers aren’t on their phones all night and get the
recommended eight hours of sleep.
Percentage of people who access 50+ times in a day

17% 29%
50%
42%
40% 36%
33% 33%
31%
30%
25% 24% 23%
21% 20%
20% 18% 18% 18% 18%
14% 15% 15%
13% 13% 13%
10% 11%
10% 7%
0%
Q. How many times would you estimate you look at your phone in a day? : NET 50+ times
However, in an effort to see if this is really true, this year we also asked consumers whether or not their phones
were a part of them waking up in the middle of the night. The results were surprising—more than 40% of
consumers access their smartphone for some use in the middle of the night—after having gone to sleep, and
before waking up (at the planned time in the morning, that is). The reliance on smartphones seems likely to
increase as more features become available.
One indicator of where these usage levels are gaining is looking at developing countries in the survey—which
represent a more tech-savvy, connected, urban population than a country’s general population (by virtue of
the survey being administered online)—and are hence typically higher than the full-country population figures.
There, we find a full 50 percent of consumers check their phone within five minutes of getting up in the morning
(compared with ~1/3 above) and 70 percent check their phone at night (compared to ~40% above). Will this level of
reliance eventually become commonplace across the globe?
09
From function to fun
So what are consumers actually doing on their smartphones? In terms of commerce, about one-third are paying for
a product through their smartphones. For about 10 to 20 percent, they are paying for a service or for public
transport. In developed countries, fewer than 15 percent on average use their smartphone to make a payment in a
store, with two major reasons cited—perception of lack of security and ‘lack of benefit’ by doing so. And while the
developing countries of China and India use mobile or in-store payments at a much higher rate (in China nearly 90
percent in the ‘urban’ centers have used their smartphone at one point or another to buy a product), it seems for
most consumers, smartphones are still not the option of choice when it comes to transactions that require some
sort of payment.
Ever use smartphone to pay for a product or a service?

Pay for a product 30% 51%
Pay for a service 11% 32%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Q. Please state which, if any of these do you ever use your phone to do: Pay for a product/ Pay for a service (EVER USED: NET)
Ever use smartphone to make an in-store payment?

13% 30%
79%
80%
60%
49%
44%
40%
23% 22% 21% 21% 21%

19% 17%
20%
11% 12% 11% 10% 12%
9% 9% 9%
5% 4% 6% 5%
0%
Q. Please state which, if any of these do you ever use your phone to do: Make an in-store payment (EVER USED: NET)
10
Ever use smartphone to pay for public transport?

16% 18%
60%
50%
48%
41%
40% 35%
28% 28% 28%
20% 18% 18% 18%

15% 14%
12%
10% 9% 10% 10% 9%
7% 8%
6% 5%
3%
0%
Q. Please state which, if any of these do you ever use your phone to do: Pay for public transport (EVER USED: NET)
This trend holds somewhat true for entertainment as well. Viewing content (watching live TV) on a small screen has
not yet become the channel of choice for most consumers with the global average hovering around 15 percent.
However, certain countries are showing more adoption than others—including the U.S. at 22%, South Korea
and Brazil in the 30s (%), and Japan at a whopping 47%. Also, in some cases there is significant variance between
demographic groups, with the younger groups (i.e., 25-34 year olds) over-indexing at up to double the average. So
for certain regions/groups, the “content on any screen” strategy appears to be gaining a foothold.
Ever watch TV on a smartphone?

Stream Live TV 18% 37%
Stream films or TV series 16% 42%
Watch TV prgs. on demand via catch up 16% 27%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Q. Please state which, if any, you ever use your phone to do: Watch live TV/ Watch TV programmes on-demand via catch-up
services/ Stream films and/or TV series (Netflix, Now TV)(EVER USED: NET) Stream films or TV series not asked in Argentina
11
Ever watch virtual reality content on a smartphone?

22% 50%
59% 58%
60%
52% 51%
46%
40%
40% 36% 35% 35%
32% 33%
29%
26% 25%
21% 22%
20% 17% 17% 18%
12% 13%
8% 8%
0%
Q. Please state which, if any, you ever use your phone to do: Watch virtual reality content (EVER USED: NET)
Though overall many consumers are still not using a smartphone for entertainment, those who are still amounts
to some pretty big numbers. When you consider that there is expected to be 6 billion smartphones in the world by
20201, even 20 percent of their owners using it for entertainment results in an impressive number.
12
IoT’s incipient opportunity
If one in four people in your workplace seem bleary-eyed from binge-watching their favorite show, that’s because
between 25 to 35 percent of consumers worldwide now own a smart TV (a television that can connect to the
Internet). But that’s where the love affair with IoT in the home appears to end—for now. Uptake of smart home
devices that can be controlled via an app is still relatively low, ranging from 3 to 10 percent each for the most
common items—thermostats, lighting, and appliances. People do seem concerned with protecting the smart items
they do have, with a slight uptick for use of smart surveillance security systems.
Using IoT devices to keep healthy also seems to be a market segment still in up-and-coming mode: owning or
accessing wearables to track vital signs averages 3 percent in most countries and slightly higher, at 7 percent, in
the developing countries. Smart cars rate about the same, with around 5 percent of consumers owning or having
access to a connected vehicle (unless you are in China or India, which jump to 18 and 15 percent, respectively). But
if these numbers seem less than thrilling, just remember that accessing the Internet on your phone seemed like a
ridiculous indulgence 15 years ago—and now most of us can’t live without 24-hour access to the web. IoT devices
that enhance lifestyles have just as much potential and a lot of market to grow in.
IoT: Own or access to a smart TV

24% 34%
50%
42%
40% 37% 37%
35%
33%
31% 30%
29% 28% 28% 28% 28% 29%
30% 26% 27% 26%
25%
22% 22% 21%
20%
20%
15%
10% 6%
0%
Q. More devices or “things” can now connect to the Internet. Typically, these devices can be controlled via an app on a
smartphone or tablet. Which, if any, of the following connected devices do you own or have ready access to?: Smart TV (a
TV that can connect to the internet)
13
IoT: Own or access other Smart home devices that can be controlled
 Smart Thermostat 3% 6%
 Smart lighting system 3% 7%
 Smart home appliance 3% 10%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Q. More devices or “things” can now connect to the Internet. Typically, these devices can be controlled via an app on a smart-
phone or tablet. Which, if any, of the following connected devices do you own or have ready access to?: Smart thermostat/
Smart lighting systems/ smart home appliance that can be connected to internet or can be controlled with an app
IoT: Own or access surveillance security system

5% 10%
30%
20% 18%
13%
10% 10%
9% 9% 9%
10% 8%
7%
6%
5% 5% 5%
4% 4% 4% 4% 4%
3% 3% 3%
2%
1%
0%

Q. More devices or “things” can now connect to the Internet. Typically, these devices can be controlled via an app on a smart-
phone or tablet. Which, if any, of the following connected devices do you own or have ready access to?: Surveillance
security system and/or camera (for monitoring or burglar alarms)
14
IoT: Own or access connected car system

4% 9%
30%
20% 18%
15%
13%
10% 8% 8%
7% 7%
4% 4% 4% 4% 4%
3% 3% 3% 3% 3%
2% 2% 2%
1% 1% 1%
0%
smartphone or tablet. Which, if any, of the following connected devices do you own or have ready access to?: Connected
car system
IoT: Own or access wearables for tracking/vital signs

3% 7%
20%
15% 15%
10%
7%
5%
4% 4% 4% 4%
3% 3% 3% 3% 3%
2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%
1% 1% 1%
0%
smartphone or tablet. Which, if any, of the following connected devices do you own or have ready access to?: Wearables
for tracking/ vital signs
15
Safe and secure?
Our phones are a virtual dossier, containing considerable amounts of personal data. They are also the conduit
for transmitting that data. With the possibility of accessing so much sensitive information, it would seem security
and privacy should be high priorities for consumers and their mobile devices. While security concerns do rate
as substantive reasons why some consumers don’t adopt various kinds of new technology, it may come as a
surprise that when it comes to privacy, most consumers aren’t as guarded as you would think: around 70 percent
of consumers in developed countries have shared some kind of personal information online. In the survey’s
developing countries, it’s more than 80%.
Privacy: Claim never to share personal information online

32% 19%
50% 48%
39%
40% 37%
35% 34% 34% 33%
31% 30% 29% 31% 31%
29% 28% 27% 28%
30%
24%
19%
20% 17% 17%
15% 15% 14%
10%
0%
Q. As far of you are aware, which, if any of the following types of information do you already share with at least one
organisation online? (e.g. Facebook, rail network for free Wi-Fi, clothes brands etc.): I never share any of these forms of
personal information
Biometrics: Fingerprint reader availability

Yes 28% 26%
No 61% 62%
Don’t know 11% 12%
100%
80%
60%
40%
55%
49%
20% 43% 41% 38%
38% 35% 33% 36%
30% 28% 27% 27%
19% 20% 23% 22% 20%
17% 16% 13% 12%
10%
0%
Q. Does your mobile phone have a fingerprint reader?

16
Making the most of mobile device sales
While a mobile device is all about untethering, most consumers ironically seem to like buying their devices face-to-
face in an old-fashioned brick-and-mortar setting. More than half of consumers bought their phone in a store. With
the advent of big box, one-stop-shopping, phones can be bought almost anywhere you buy your paper towels
and shampoo.
Online purchases are still meaningful, coming in at around 30 percent. Nearly one-third of mobile phone
consumers is a significant number, and manufacturers and carriers alike may be curious to know that just a little
over 20 percent in developed countries bought their phone from an online-only e-commerce website. That leaves
close to 80 percent who did not buy their phone from an e-commerce site. Cultivating relationships with these
online consumers and beefing up their web presence could prove fruitful for manufacturers and carriers.
Status of previous mobile phone

Gave/sold it to
family or friend Kept it as a spare
12% Canada 37%

11% USA 33%
13% Belgium 49%
12% Finland 50%
19% France 41%
20% Germany 36%
19% Ireland 46%
Developing: 17% Italy 48%
22% Luxembourg 42%
Gave/sold it 26%
21% Netherlands 44%
Spare 35% 14% Norway 53%
21% Poland 48%
Developed: 15% Sweden 49%
16% United Kingdom 41%
Gave/sold 16%
22% Australia 40%
Spare 43% 3% Japan 37%
12% South Korea 48%
29% Argentina 32%
32% Brazil 22%
30% Mexico 23%
20% Russia 48%
23% China 51%
22% India 37%
Q. What happened to your previous mobile phone when you bought or received your current phone?
Base: Avg. per 1965
The growing popularity of second-hand sales of mobile phones also presents a new market opportunity. Upwards
of 25 percent of phones are sold back into the marketplace. With stronger and targeted trade-in programs,
manufacturers and carriers can build ongoing relationships with those consumers looking to upgrade by selling
their current phone. This also keeps second-hand sales in-house—something to think about as smartphones sales
inevitably level.
17
Phone purchase channels: new phones

Online 28% 31%
In- store 52% 53%
Other 20% 16%
100%
80%
49% 39%
39% 48%
60% 52% 36% 41% 65%
60% 58% 83%
65% 55% 57% 42% 31% 43% 54% 66%
69% 51% 74% 66%
40%
43% 45% 47% 51%

20% 38% 38%
25%
33% 30% 36% 29% 25% 25% 23%
18% 23% 21% 20%
13% 18%
11% 7% 10%
0%
Q. Which, if any, of the following apply to how you got your current phone? : new phone.
Phone purchase channels: online, from an online-only e-commerce website

23% 52%
89%
90%
80%
70%
60% 52%
46% 48%
50%
36% 34%
40% 32% 34% 33%
27% 29% 28%
25%
28%
30% 24% 23%
19% 21%
20% 15%
10% 9%
10% 5% 4%
0%
Q. You said you purchased your current phone online, which of the following best describes where you purchased it from?:
From an online-only e-commerce website.
18
Phone purchase channels: in-store, from a mobile phone shop

18% 24%
50% 46%
44%
42%
40%
31% 30%
29%
30%
25% 25%
20% 21%
20%
15% 15% 15%
13%
11% 11%
9% 9%
10% 7% 7%
5% 4%
2%
0%
Q. You said you purchased your current phone in-store, which of the following best describes where you purchased it
from?: From a mobile phone shop.
(Endnotes)
1. Digital in 2017 Global Overview from We Are Social
19
Contacts
Craig Wigginton
Global, U.S. and Americas Telecommunications Sector Leader
Deloitte & Touche LLP
cwigginton@deloitte.com
Michael Curran
Global and U.S. Telecommunications Sector Specialist
Deloitte Services LP
mcurran@deloitte.com
Christine Brodeur
Global Marketing Leader, Technology, Media & Entertainment and Telecommunications
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited
cbrodeur@deloitte.com
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Global mobile consumer trends,

Mobile devices are now a fixture of modern life. So much

Deloitte’s global Telecom sector practice has been

4G: fueling the smartphone 06

Mobile: a part of modern life

Any mobile phone 91% 90%

Smartphone 80% 82%

96% 96% 94% 94% 93% 93%

4G: fueling the smartphone

Smartphone network connectivity: 4G or not

Yes 59% 56%

Don’t know 15% 8%

Q. Is your mobile on a 4G/LTE network?

4G vs. Wi-Fi at home: Is 4G faster or slower?

Net: 4G is faster 27% 37%

Net: 4G is slower 20% 24%

Note change in scale

Device ownership: Wearables

Smart watch 5% 11%

Note change in scale

First access with in 5 minutes

Note change in scale

Nearly half check their phone sometime during the night.

Don’t access at night 57% 28%

Access for something 40% 70%

29% 33% 32% 34% 34% 30% 29%

Percentage of people who access 50+ times in a day

Note change in scale

From function to fun

Ever use smartphone to pay for a product or a service?

Pay for a product 30% 51%

Pay for a service 11% 32%

Note change in scale

Ever use smartphone to make an in-store payment?

23% 22% 21% 21% 21%

Note change in scale

Ever use smartphone to pay for public transport?

20% 18% 18% 18%

Note change in scale

Ever watch TV on a smartphone?

Stream Live TV 18% 37%

Stream ﬁlms or TV series 16% 42%

Watch TV prgs. on demand via catch up 16% 27%

Note change in scale

Ever watch virtual reality content on a smartphone?

Note change in scale

IoT’s incipient opportunity

IoT: Own or access to a smart TV

Note change in scale

 Smart lighting system 3% 7%

 Smart home appliance 3% 10%

Note change in scale

IoT: Own or access surveillance security system

Note change in scale

IoT: Own or access connected car system

Note change in scale

IoT: Own or access wearables for tracking/vital signs

Note change in scale

Safe and secure?

Privacy: Claim never to share personal information online

Note change in scale

Biometrics: Fingerprint reader availability

Yes 28% 26%