ABI Research latest assessment reveals an increasing gap in usage and spending patterns between business users and consumers who use their mobile phones for personal reasons only.
Based on a survey of more than 1,200 wireless subscribers, results demonstrate that business users are a premium segment of the overall wireless market, not only spending much more on their monthly bills but also adopting advanced handsets and data or multimedia services at significantly higher rates than personal-only users.
ABI Research's analysis shows that the average revenue per user (ARPU) among business users is 24 percent higher than among personal users. For mobile data services, the gap is even wider -- business users spend 80 percent more than personal users.
And, business users talk a lot more -- they consume 69 percent more minutes of use (MOU) per month than personal users. Even among consumer-centric services like multimedia and entertainment applications, business usage is 78 percent higher than that of personal users.
However, according to principal analyst Dan Shey, "Operators still need to develop their capabilities to better serve business customers. Such users deliver the highest ARPU for both business applications and entertainment. Combining the two will pay dividends. This includes the need for operators for more high-end phones targeted to business users, and to drive toward greater service integration."
For device vendors, one key to greater success is to target the implementation of Wi-Fi into devices used by customers with the greatest need for access cost reductions, and the greatest ability to connect to Wi-Fi access points, such as international travelers. The results also indicate the relative opportunities of targeted feature improvements in lower-end phones.
The results of the survey are presented as a free white paper entitled "Wireless Consumer and Business User Profiles."
The white paper is based on a web-based survey of 1,223 mobile subscribers in the United States. Respondents answered a series of questions concerning their usage of cellular and wireless services and their interest in new emerging products.
Based on a survey of more than 1,200 wireless subscribers, results demonstrate that business users are a premium segment of the overall wireless market, not only spending much more on their monthly bills but also adopting advanced handsets and data or multimedia services at significantly higher rates than personal-only users.
ABI Research's analysis shows that the average revenue per user (ARPU) among business users is 24 percent higher than among personal users. For mobile data services, the gap is even wider -- business users spend 80 percent more than personal users.
And, business users talk a lot more -- they consume 69 percent more minutes of use (MOU) per month than personal users. Even among consumer-centric services like multimedia and entertainment applications, business usage is 78 percent higher than that of personal users.
However, according to principal analyst Dan Shey, "Operators still need to develop their capabilities to better serve business customers. Such users deliver the highest ARPU for both business applications and entertainment. Combining the two will pay dividends. This includes the need for operators for more high-end phones targeted to business users, and to drive toward greater service integration."
For device vendors, one key to greater success is to target the implementation of Wi-Fi into devices used by customers with the greatest need for access cost reductions, and the greatest ability to connect to Wi-Fi access points, such as international travelers. The results also indicate the relative opportunities of targeted feature improvements in lower-end phones.
The results of the survey are presented as a free white paper entitled "Wireless Consumer and Business User Profiles."
The white paper is based on a web-based survey of 1,223 mobile subscribers in the United States. Respondents answered a series of questions concerning their usage of cellular and wireless services and their interest in new emerging products.