Study shows most Pinoys hooked on cellphones

MANILA, Philippines – Mobile phone has become a necessity for the common man as more than three fourths of Filipinos look at their devices within 15 minutes after waking up, according to the Deloitte Global Mobile Consumer Survey.

The survey also showed that 73 percent of Filipinos still prefer to use SMS or text message over instant messaging (IM).

But those who use IM or 33 percent of the respondents turn to Facebook Messenger instead of pure Over-The-Top (OTT) IM services to communicate.

According to the report, 94 percent of Filipino IM users use Facebook Messenger, an app that has been downloaded three times more than Skype and 10 times more than WhatsApp in this country.

In Southeast Asia, IM emerged as the most popular messaging tool, with IM usage increasing and SMS decreasing across the board, except in the Philippines.

Filipinos also glance at their screens repeatedly, using their phones most frequently when commuting on public transport.

The survey likewise revealed that a significant proportion of Filipino users (31 percent) listen to online radio via their smartphones.

About 82 percent of Filipino respondents use Wi-Fi at home, in the workplace, or their place of study while the rest use Wi-Fi in public places.

The popularity of IM will continue to hold in the region, with Filipinos finding it a convenient option for chatting with friends and family overseas.

Navarro Amper & Co. managing partner and chief executive officer Greg Navarro said telecommunication operators could take advantage of this situation to increase revenues from data usage.

“They can, for example, tailor chat packages to specific IM applications that are widely used in their respective local markets,” Navarro said.

Navarro Amper & Co. is the local member firm of Deloitte Southeast Asia Ltd., which conducted the survey, which covered 49,500 consumers across 31 countries.

The survey was done to determine the trending attitudes and behaviors of today’s mobile consumer. It was conducted in the third quarter of 2015. –Ted Torres (The Philippine Star)