Smartphone users in Saudi Arabia have a strong interest in new, future services

RIYADH: Smartphone users in Saudi Arabia have a strong interest in new and future services like multi-screening, connected cars and connected homes. The aspiration for these new services is much higher than among users in the US and the UK, according to a report released in Riyadh on Tuesday. The latest Ericsson ConsumerLab report “Evolving Expectations”, pointed out that the mobile broadband usage behavior in Saudi Arabia stands out compared to the global markets, driven by high smartphone ownership, access to 4G networks and strong interest in new services.
The study presents insights from research involving more than 2000 smartphone users, who use mobile broadband, and sheds light on the changing mobile broadband usage and behavior in the Kingdom .
When it comes to satisfaction of mobile broadband users on 4G networks, the study shows that user expectations from the service increase over time.
Presenting the report, Ali Eid, head of Ericsson,Saudi Arabia, said that the study reveals the share of time spent watching video on mobile devices is 62 percent, which is significantly high in KSA when compared with countries like the United Arab Emirates, US, the UK and Germany.
In fact, he said consumers in the Kingdom are almost on par with their western counterparts in terms of Internet usage throughout the day with 66 percent saying they use the internet constantly throughout the day. Another 54 percent claim that the internet is their main source of news and entertainment surpassing both the UK and the USA.
On the other hand, user expectations are constantly evolving over time. The report finds that as users become more experienced with mobile broadband services, their expectations rise. This is translated in lower satisfaction of experienced 4G users than that of the new users.
Eid said: “The fact is that consumers in the Kingdom are increasingly mobile, video driven, to the extent that their connectivity and mobility is surpassing many other countries, which is truly exciting. One of the key points highlighted by this report is that consumer expectations from mobile services are increasingly evolving over time. In order to meet the expectations, there is a challenge for operators to improve service quality with reliable and faster mobile broadband and better customer support.”