While internet usage is taking up and usage of mobile messaging apps — such as Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp etc. — is on the rise, the traditional SMS and Voice still enjoys its fair-share in emerging markets such as Pakistan.
This was revealed in a Telenor Research study conducted in November-December 2015, in which mobile users aged 16-35 years in Telenor Group’s markets in Asia and Europe were interviewed about their mobile communication habits.
The interviewees, identified as “digital frontrunners”, were from Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Norway, Sweden, Serbia, and Hungary.
Survey found that half of Pakistanis surveyed use a variety of messaging apps (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Viber are popular choices) and more than a third use internet voice and video calls on a daily basis.
With such adoption of messaging apps, it was found that Pakistan are still more comfortable with traditional mobile calls and SMS as compared to messaging apps.
Experts say that this behavior is probably due to a fact that only one in four mobile phone users in Pakistan are connected (through 3G or 4G).
They further said that messaging apps are ultimately going to take more share but process has to be gradual and will depend on quality of service offered from operators.
“Survey findings for Pakistan resemble to those of the Malaysian respondents in 2012. The Pakistani frontrunners may go down the same route as their Malaysian counterparts over the next one to three years as internet access and smartphone become increasingly common,” said Bjørn Taale Sandberg, Head of Telenor Research.
Key Findings of Survey
Below is the infographic that Telenor Research released on the survey findings:
