Non-Computer Digital Traffic In India With Feature Phones

Non-Computer Digital Traffic In India With Feature Phones

The way we’ve been using technology has changed immensely, especially in the last two years. However, prior to that, Internet traffic was dominated by desktops and was then accompanied by notebooks. Off late, as other web connected devices come into the picture the usage pattern of the consumers, like their daily intake of digital dose has changed. There could be numerous reasons for this phenomenon, ranging from evolved connectivity on the go, to what type of data people prefer accessing even while away from desktop and of course, portability of the devices themselves, among others.
In the Digital Omnivores report by comScore, smartphones come across as the catalyst for triggering this outburst of digital traffic among other web-connected devices like tablets, feature phones, PMPs and gaming consoles. In the U.S, more than 96 percent of the digital traffic from connected devices is offered by smartphones. Considering the top 5 markets – U.S., U.K., Singapore, Japan and Australia, the overall Internet traffic from connected devices is over 5 percent. Having said that, 2 percent of the digital traffic from Internet connected devices comes from tablets in the U.S., which is commendable for a device category that was conceived less than two years ago.

India’s contribution towards the digital traffic of the world from connected devices is 3.7 percent, taking the eighth position. Well, not surprisingly, out of this traffic, which is voluminous as it is, 92 percent comes via mobile handsets. 73.1 percent, however, of the total digital traffic generated by mobile phones, is contributed by feature phones. Although the smartphone segment is catching up, followed by tablets, we still appear to be a very price sensitive market. Moreover, India is one of the fastest growing mobile phone markets, because feature phones have begun to penetrate the rural areas in India, clearly explaining the rapid increase in the usage of the the handset itself. But, this segment of the market is still dominated by low-end handsets.

According to a survey by Strategy Analytics early this year, about 63 percent of the low income rural users prefer affordable phones from companies like Lava, Micromax and Spice. Student community in the urban areas following the current social networking fad, could be yet another reason for larger traffic generated from feature phones. We’ve seen several feature phones come with support for social networking, including the Facebook dedicated Vodafone Blue 555, and the number of social networking feature phone is speculated to grow even further. Even in the case of tablets, amidst the iPads and high-end Android tablets, there has been an increasing number of reasonably priced tablets like Reliance 3G Tab, Beetel, mTab and now the Aakash.