Title: Exploring the impact of handset upgrades on mobile content and service usage

Authors: Philip Sugai

Addresses: Graduate School of International Management, International University of Japan, 777 Kokusai-Cho, Minami Uonuma-Shi, Niigata 949-7277, Japan

Abstract: The majority of handset sales in developed mobile markets has shifted from first time purchases to upgrades, with handset manufacturers, network operators and content and service providers appealing to consumers with increasingly advanced offerings in the hope of generating increased usage of, and revenues from, next generation services. However, there is a dearth of research exploring the relationship between mobile usage and handset upgrades. This paper provides the first empirical results in this area, showing that pre-existing usage habits play a far more important role in post-upgrade usage behaviours than upgrade motivations or the incremental technical capabilities of the new handset.

Keywords: mobile consumer behaviour; handset upgrades; content usage; usage habits; Japan; mobile communications; next generation services; mobile usage.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMC.2007.012395

International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2007 Vol.5 No.3, pp.281 - 299

Published online: 11 Feb 2007 *

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