Almost half of mobile phone users worldwide are still only accessing voice and SMS services, a new consumer study by the global body for all GSM operators, GSMA, has said.
Mobile users were split into four tiers: aficionados (the most engaged); pragmatists; networkers; and talkers (the least engaged), and the talkers, who use devices for voice and text services, made up 47 per cent of adult mobile phone owners in 2016, according to the study, which is updated annually.
However, it said this may drop to 29 per cent of the total by 2030, as users across the developing world benefit from “advances in mobile innovation, affordability and availability”.
The report also found South Korea, Qatar and the US were the highest-scoring markets in terms of mobile engagement.