Canadian Household Access to Wireless Phones Reaches 72%

    Talking, text messaging and picture taking are top mobile phone
    activities

    OTTAWA, Nov. 20 /CNW Telbec/ - A new Harris/Decima survey finds that 72%
of Canadian households now have access to a wireless phone, up from 64% in
2006. Commissioned by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association
(CWTA), the wireless usage survey also reveals that 69% of households now have
access to two or more cell phones.
    The average increase of 8% in national wireless household penetration
from 2006 to 2008 is for the most part consistent across all regions of the
country. The increase has been most significant in Quebec - from 51% in 2006
to 61% in 2008. Albertans continue to be at the forefront of wireless phone
adoption overall with a household wireless penetration rate of 82%.
    "Essentially, more Canadians are using wireless phones, usage of wireless
phones is deeper within each household and Canadians continue to consider them
viable alternatives to their traditional home phone," said Paul Musca, Senior
Consultant at Harris/Decima. "In 2008, we found that 6% of Canadian households
report being cell-only. And given that in 2006 approximately 5% of Canadian
households had a cell phone exclusively, the value observed in 2008 represents
a 20% increase in just two years."
    When looking at penetration rates at the individual level, Canadians in
the 18 to 34 age bracket are the most likely to have a wireless phone at 73%.
Approximately two-thirds (65%) of Canadians in the 16-17 and 35-54 (66%) age
brackets report having access to a wireless phone. Cell phone use by younger
Canadians ages 13 to 15 was found to be 30%.
    Apart from voice calls, the study found that text messaging and
picture-taking top the list of the most common activities performed on mobile
phones. The use of text messaging has grown enormously from 25% of wireless
users in 2006 to 44% in 2008; picture-taking has gone from 15% to 38%; and the
use of multimedia messaging has increased from 3% to 13%.
    "Canadians continue to be some of the most enthusiastic mobile phone
users in the world, averaging more than 400 minutes of talk time each month,"
said Bernard Lord, CWTA President and CEO. "And text messaging volumes
continue to soar with growth rates in excess of 100% per year. In the first
six months of this year, Canadians sent close to 9 billion text messages, with
a current daily count of more than 54 million."
    The Harris/Decima survey found that younger cell users (13-17) send over
three times as many text messages per day as adults (24 vs. 7), with 83% of
youth reporting that they send and/or receive them. In total, 74% of youth
wireless users take pictures with their camera phones (approximately six per
week) and 45% download content like ringtones and wallpaper. Multimedia
messaging, or picture messaging, is also popular among youth with 38% sending
or receiving these types of messages.
    Mobile phone users ages 18-34 are also taking full advantage of their
wireless device features, as 73% report sending or receiving text messages;
59% take pictures; 25% download ringtones or wallpaper; and 24% send or
receive multimedia messages. Similarly, in the 35-54 age range, text messaging
is increasing with 37% sending or receiving text messages; 34% taking
pictures; 12% downloading content; and 9% sending or receiving multimedia
messages. In the 55+ range, 16% of users send or receive text messages and 17%
take pictures. On the whole, adults take approximately four pictures per week
with their camera phones.
    The study also shows that cell phones are of particular benefit to youth
and their familial relationships. The majority of youth (94%) say they feel
safe having access to a cell phone in the event that they need to contact
their family. As well, a substantial portion of the youth demographic (70%)
feels that cell phones help them manage their families' schedules. And more
than half - 55% of all youth surveyed - feel that their cell phone actually
improves the nature of their relationship with their families.

    Other survey highlights include:

    - Nearly half (46%) of those who have access to a wireless phone say they
      have used their phone in an emergency situation.
    - 19% of respondents that currently have access to a wireless phone said
      their wireless service will likely replace their landline service over
      the next year.
    - Overall, more than half (54%) of respondents feel that their cellular
      phone improves the quality of their leisure time. Younger Canadians
      (69%) are more likely to feel that cell phones have a positive impact
      on the quality of their leisure time (versus 47% for Canadians 35 years
      of age and above).
    - 31% of adults and 51% of youth surveyed feel that the ability to text
      their friends and family has improved relationships with them.
    - 51% of youth wireless users would be interested in having school
      announcements communicated to them via their cell phones.
    - Among adults, over half (54%) say that other family members such as
      parents, children or relatives are who they call most often from their
      cell phones. Other commonly called contacts include a spouse or partner
      (44%), friends (37%) and work colleagues (17%).
    - Youth between the ages of 13 and 17 most often call other family
      members (77%). Friends closely follow at 69% and one fifth (20%) of
      these respondents said they call their boyfriend or girlfriend most
      often.

    The complete "2008 Wireless Attitudes Study" is available on the CWTA Web
site at www.cwta.ca.

    Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA)

    CWTA is the authority on wireless issues, developments and trends in
    Canada. It represents cellular, PCS, messaging, mobile radio, fixed
    wireless and mobile satellite carriers as well as companies that develop
    and produce products and services for the industry. Visit the
    Association's Web site at www.cwta.ca.

    Harris/Decima

    Harris/Decima is one of Canada's most established names in public opinion
    and market research, with a 25-year track record of innovation and client
    satisfaction. Today, we are among Canada's largest full service research
    firms and fastest growing success story.

For further information: and interview opportunities: Marc Choma, (613)
233-4888 ext. 207, mchoma@cwta.ca