These days, you might think that just about everybody owns some type of smartphone. New models are released every week which cater to almost any budget. But according to the latest Communications report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the amount of smartphone owners in Australia is smaller than you might think.
The number of mobile services in operation (voice and data) in Australia reached 29.28 million at the end of the last quarter. Of these services, 51 per cent (14.81 million) comprised of basic mobile phone voice services only. The remaining 49 per cent was made up of mobile wireless broadband services (16 per cent) and mobile phone handset services capable of accessing the internet (33 per cent).
In other words, smartphone data use in Australia accounted for just 33 per cent of all mobile services, with 5.2 million more people opting to stick with just voice on their phone. Even when you factor in children, the elderly and people who only keep phones for emergencies, this figure still seems pretty high.
After all, you can now get Internet-capable phones for under $100 (no to mention the assortment of 'free' models offered on mobile phone contracts).
Doubtlessly, the majority of our tech-savvy readers own a smartphone, but if you're still holding onto an ageing Nokia or Sony Ericsson handset, we'd like to hear the reason why. Let us know in the comments section below.
