Mobile Phone Reviews
 
 
Grey-as-you-go sales up

Mon, 06 Mar 2006

Almost one in three mobile phones sold in the UK last year went to a customer aged over 50.

Middle-aged people are now driving demand for handsets, a survey revealed yesterday.

Only teenagers bought more mobiles last year, snapping up 34 per cent. That puts them just three per cent in front of their grandparents, who will soon take the top spot if the trend continues.

And researchers say the figures herald a new "grey as you go" generation.

Demand for mobiles has soared by a third among fiftysomethings, who like to keep in touch with their children and grandchildren. Nine out of 10 regularly send text messages to younger members of the family and say it's the only way to get a response.

Many of those questioned for the Woolworth’s survey said, they would get a reply to a text within minutes, while a phone call could go unanswered for days.

But over-50s refuse to use "txt spk" and prefer to stick with proper spelling and punctuation.

Woolworth’s spokesman Norman Bruce said, "Mobiles are now part of everyday life and the older generation is beginning to feel comfortable using them."

Mobile phone companies are now set to target the new market, which saw sales leap from just five per cent among over-50s in 2003 to 33 per cent last year.

David Nunn, of Mobile magazine said, "We've seen the networks targeting different demographics recently.

"The over-50s is one which has gone from being totally ignored to one that is growing rapidly in terms of mobile usage and spend."

Vodafone came up with their specially designed "Simply" handset to take advantage of the grey pound last year.

Nunn added, "The idea was to remove all the complicated technology stuff and focus instead on making it easy to use."

Three-quarters of older users prefer a basic phone with few gadgets.
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