(13 August 2013) – While Europeans are open to the opportunities offered by new mobile tools and services, they still think twice before picking up the phone or going online because of the cost of these services.
Mobile phones are now everywhere, but only half are “smart”. Subscriptions for phones that include internet access range from 55% in Sweden, Denmark, the UK, Finland, France and the Netherlands to below 35% in Belgium, Greece, Hungary, Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria and Portugal.
This lower penetration of smart phones is a feature in many countries where mobile Internet access subscribers limit time spent online because they are concerned about the charges – Hungary (35%), Portugal (58%), Greece (53%), Cyprus (52%), Belgium, (47%) and Romania (45%).
Broadband access at home is the reality for 3/4 of households: 72.5% of EU households now have a broadband connection, up from 67.3% in 2011. And the division between phone and Internet is blurring fast: 34% use the internet to make voice calls (Voice over Internet Protocol or “VOIP”), up 7 points in 2012.