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Insights from the 'Mobile Youth' Market Study

According to Research and Markets, data from "mobileYouth Fanscape 2006" reveals significant differences between the profiles of the U.S. network operator customers.

Data for the 254 page report was based on a comprehensive survey of 4,602 U.S. cell phone customers to reveal user preferences and spending patterns by operator, age, gender and location.

Sample operator profiles:

Virgin Mobile USA

-Young, trendy and typically students (average age, 21.4 yrs), Virgin Mobile customers are early adopters looking to differentiate themselves from the crowd - but within a limited budget.
-Despite a high interest in new handsets, a lack of money leads Virgin Mobile customers to have one of the longest upgrade cycles, reporting 9.8 months until their next upgrade.
-Virgin customers are casual listeners more likely to be interested in mobile radio or streaming audio than MP3s.
-Virgin customers are weary of mobile marketing; only 1.7 percent of Virgin customers have entered a competition with a text message and 8.6 percent want to receive special offers by SMS.

Verizon Wireless

-Verizon Wireless customers have mainstream tastes and are more family orientated than the average U.S. cell phone owner; 7.3 percent of customers share their cell phone with another family member.
-Verizon Wireless customers are choosy when it comes to promotions, only responding to the best offers.
-Verizon Wireless customers are interested in mobile video services with 9.1 percent of customers reporting an interest in watching videos on their cell phones.

Other network operators included in this report: US Cellular, T-Mobile, Nextel, Sprint PCS, Cricket, Cingular, Cellular One, ATT Wireless, and Alltel.

Insights:

-8.9 percent of T-Mobile USA customers want to receive special offers by SMS.
-10 percent of Verizon customers said they would change network for a better phone.
-On average 3.2 percent of U.S. customers would pay more for a cell phone with better gaming facilities.
-The family-orientated customers of Cellular One and Alltel customers are the least likely to move to another network.
-25 percent of Cricket customers said they would change providers for better games.

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