During June 2011, 274,000 mobile phone users accessed VoIP via their mobile handset, an increase of 226 per cent on the numbers during June 2010. Males accounted for 64 per cent of mobile handset VoIP users in Australia during June 2011, while people aged 25–34 years accounted for 43 per cent (Figure 4).
While the take-up of mobile handset VoIP among Australian mobile phone users is currently low, the continued increase in smartphone numbers and a rising awareness of services available means mobile handset VoIP use will likely increase.
Mobile handset VoIP users will need to be aware of the data costs associated with their calls. However, these costs are falling as operators continue to offer progressively larger data allowances as part of their mobile phone plans. For example, MyNetFone estimates that a VoIP phone call of one hour duration uses between 28 and 76 MB per hour.39 This equates to a range of 2.3–6.3 MB for a five-minute phone call, or approximately 0.5–1.2 per cent of a basic data allowance of 500 MB per month.
Share with your friends: |