×

As more U.S. consumers adopt mobile devices and grow more adept at using them, their expectations of products and services are changing in ways that companies operating in the mobile ecosystem may not have anticipated.

In recent years, wireless industry analysts have debated whether 4G or Wi-Fi would become consumers’ preferred technology for accessing the Internet from mobile devices. Many industry experts speculated that the speed, ubiquity, and relatively low cost of Wi-Fi could threaten cellular networks, given consumers’ exploding mobile adoption rates, “addiction” to broadband speed, and penchant for downloading vast amounts of data.

In fact, the results of a 2013 survey¹ by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) tell a different story: U.S. smartphone owners readily use both Wi-Fi and cellular networks to access the Internet.

The coexistence of 4G and Wi-Fi is among several counterintuitive findings revealed in the survey. For example, results reveal that while it is true consumers increasingly watch videos and play games on mobile devices over high-bandwidth connections, they still predominantly use these devices for e-mail, Web browsing, and social networking.

One other notable finding: Despite an increasing number of apps available for an array of activities, the number of apps consumers download to their mobile devices decreased from 2012 to 2013, by 23 percent for smartphones and 15 percent for tablets. Nevertheless, Craig Wigginton, vice chairman and U.S. telecommunications sector leader for Deloitte LLP, sees much potential in the apps market long term. “Our analysis suggests that the overall declines indicated in this year’s survey may be due to increasing sophistication among consumers. It is likely they have obtained the core apps they prefer for work and play, with those choices persisting over time as they upgrade and change their devices.”

For additional survey results, click here or on the graphic to enlarge.