US desperate for more mobile phones

Consumers may not be wildly enamoured with the mobile networks, but that's not deterring them from buying mobile phones.

Two-thirds of US households now have at least one mobile phone, and for many, one isn't enough, according to a study from Forrester Research. The number of households with four or more phones has grown by 57 per cent over the last year, the company said on Wednesday.

The embrace of mobile phones shouldn't be confused with enthusiasm for service providers, however. Although carriers are working to improve their networks and customer service, customer satisfaction has declined over the past three years and hovers around 50 per cent in key categories, Forrester said.

"The wireless market continues to defy predictions that it is approaching its saturation point," Forrester analyst Charles S. Golvin said.

Consumers also say they don't need all the gadgets, such as digital cameras and colour screens, which manufacturers are packing into handsets. Mobile phone buyers remain more focused on basic features such as price, battery life and ease of use - less than one in 10 said a camera is vital to their purchase decision, according to Forrester, which surveyed 5,600 US households.

Some new features are gaining in importance, however. Twenty per cent of survey respondents said they want to have wireless data functions, like the ability to access e-mail and share photos.

The age group whose members are most likely to have a mobile phone is 18- to 24-year-olds, surpassing the 25-to-34 group. The only category of population with less than 50 per cent mobile-phone penetration was the 65 and older group.

The study also indicated that consolidation in the mobile-phone industry would concentrate dominance in three companies - Cingular Wireless, Verizon and Sprint-Nextel – whose products will be found in seven out of 10 households that have mobile phones.