Title: Factors affecting the present and future use of mobile data services: comparing the Dutch, Finnish and Greek markets

Authors: Harry Bouwman, Christer Carlsson, Francisco Jose Molina Castillo, George M. Giaglis, Pirkko Walden

Addresses: Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Information and Communication Technology, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5015, GA Delft 2600, The Netherlands. ' Institute for Advanced Management Systems Research, Abo Akademi University, Joukahaisenkatu 3-5 A, Turku FIN-20520, Finland. ' Departamento de Comercializacion e Investigacion de Mercados, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Espinardo-Murcia, Spain. ' Athens University of Economics and Business, Evelpidon 47a, Athens GR-11362, Greece. ' Institute for Advanced Management Systems Research, Abo Akademi University, Joukahaisenkatu 3-5 A, Turku FIN-20520, Finland

Abstract: We study the extent to which regulatory and market-related conditions in Finland, Greece and the Netherlands explain the uptake of advanced mobile data services in these countries. By comparing data from a common survey, models are tested through structural equation modelling. We find significant differences and communalities in the factors affecting the present and future use of mobile services in the three countries, related to personal attitudes towards mobile innovation. We conclude that expectations for the future uptake of mobile data services may be formulated not only through a number of common factors (mobile entertainment services, for example, are influenced by entertainment value in all countries), but also by situation-specific ones (for example, mobile information services are influenced by perceived flexibility in Finland and Greece, and by perceived status enhancement in the Netherlands). Such findings have practical consequences for the design and marketing of mobile services in different markets.

Keywords: mobile data services; mobile communications; cross-country comparison; regulation; present use; future use; The Netherlands; Finland; Greece; structural equation modelling; mobile services; m-services; flexibility; status enhancement.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMC.2010.033835

International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2010 Vol.8 No.4, pp.430 - 450

Published online: 02 Jul 2010 *

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