A new consumer survey from Citrix has revealed that the majority of smartphone users would engage with operators’ services if sponsored data plans were made available.
71% of men and 62% of women surveyed said they would engage in one of the sponsored plans, with the younger generations more likely to be open to the idea; 78% of millennials, compared to 66% of generation X and 52% of baby boomers.
If users did have access to a sponsored data plan, their most likely port of call would be their bank’s page. 39% of consumers said they would access bank account information, whilst 33% would watch educational videos, 28% would watch ads, 21% would teleconference and 18% would file an insurance claim.
This does seem a bizarre list of activities, yet there were even more peculiar stats in the research. While half of smartphone subscribers are already being served ads, more than half (59%) think that ads don’t count as part of their data quota.
Yet a clear trend is evident: mobile video subscribers are far more likely to engage in sponsored data plans. Nearly four in five (78%) consumers who have a monthly data limit and watch at least one mobile video a month are more likely to use sponsored plans, as opposed to 38% of those who watch less than one mobile video per month.
The upshot of this, according to Citrix, is a potential monetisation opportunity for fast-moving operators.
Chris Koopmans, VP & GM service provider platforms at Citrix, said: “Sponsored data plans are likely to be a growing source of revenue for mobile operators. The findings of this survey suggest that although subscribers are keen to consume data, they are also worried about exceeding data limits.
“Sponsored data plans are one way in which brands can ensure their content is seen by consumers, by removing the worry about excessive data usage.”
He added: “The findings of this survey highlight the myriad ways in which subscribers are using their data plans, and provide operators insight into subscriber attitudes and perceptions about mobile data consumption.”
What do you make of these results? Would you approve the idea of sponsored data plans for consumers?
