Communication behaviors and perceptions of mobile internet adopters

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to empirically explore the extent to which actual use intensity of mobile internet (MI) access is influenced by factual use conditions and evaluative perceptions of MI adopters. Furthermore, it analyzes relationships between this usage behavior and mobile voice call as well as SMS activity quantities at the individual customer level.Design/methodology/approachIndicators of actual MI, voice call and SMS use intensity were obtained for a sample of 443 MI customers of a mobile network operator (MNO) in Germany. The objective behavioral measures were integrated with adopter responses collected through a standardized telephone survey.FindingsFactual MI use conditions (MI tariff type and appliance class, fixed broadband internet home access) were significant predictors of MI use intensity, whereas MI‐related evaluative perceptions (e.g. MI value assessment) were not. Distributions of MI, voice telephony, and SMS use intensities were highly skewed. A small group of users disproportionately contributed to the total MI traffic generated by the sample. Most customers use MI only to a limited extent after the initial adoption. MI use intensity was not significantly correlated with mobile voice communication or SMS activity levels.Research limitations/implicationsThe study included data only from early MI subscribers of one MNO in a single country. The system‐captured MI use intensity indicator did not distinguish between different variants of MI services. Measures of factual MI use circumstances were not very fine‐grained. Common potential perceptual antecedents of MI acceptance (e.g. usefulness, ease of use) were excluded due to constraints imposed by the collaborating MNO.Practical implicationsThe research indicates that MNO should consider promoting MI use intensity by offering “packages” that encompass a flat rate and a laptop at special bundle prices. Further, MNO are well‐advised to develop activities which discourage customers who do not already have a fixed broadband access at home from the acquisition of such an installation in the future. Finally, managers are urged to critically reflect the validity of single rater studies on MI acceptance before drawing practical conclusions from this type of work.Originality/valueThe contributions of this paper result from the exploration of actual usage behaviors of MI adopters and the integration of system‐captured use intensity measures with survey responses. This approach is seminal in better understanding limitations of purely questionnaire‐based investigations on use of mobile communication services in general and MI in particular. Additionally, the study demonstrates the importance of considering factual MI use circumstances as factors shaping MI use intensity.