Senior citizens not gung ho about mobile revolution

NEW DELHI: A Telenor study has shown that only six percent of mobile users in India are over 50 years and this aging population are not fully receiving the benefits of mobile revolution.

The data was released from four Asian markets indicating that senior citizens are not fully receiving the benefits of the mobile Internet.

The research note, “The unconnected senior citizens of Asia” draws upon customer data from four Telenor markets: India, Thailand, Bangladesh and Malaysia. The findings suggest that the senior segment in some of these markets represent as little as 2% of active mobile users, with still fewer using smartphones.

A demographic breakdown shows that only 10% of Uninor’s subscribers in India are over 45 years of age. Meanwhile, of the total mobile phone users in India, only 6% are over 50 years of age. This difference is exacerbated for mobile data users, with only 1% being 50 years or older. Generally, non-data users have a lower income profile and higher age than the average mobile user.

Sigve Brekke, Executive Vice President and Head of Asia operations, Telenor Group, says,“Given our vision of Internet for All, it is a source of concern for Telenor that senior citizens in our Asian markets are not fully receiving the benefits of the mobile internet.

The Internet can be a vital way of maintaining civic participation and even receiving basic citizen services in the near future, and thus the findings should be of interest to multiple stakeholders, from policy makers to corporations, families, and individuals. This is particularly true as several Asian societies anticipate increasingly aging populations: we must work to achieve connectivity for all, not just the young.”