Mobiles must dance to the tune of radio

Launching a mobile phone without a radio is a major barrier to winning more sales in India, according to the study by research major TNS.

In the emerging Asian market, 45 per cent of users listed the availability of FM/AM radio as one of the top choices for purchasing a mobile phone, making it a popular application compared with SMS (texting), internet and camera.

The findings can help revival of the radio. "This new outlet through mobile phones may help it sustain its life well into this millennium," Matthew Froggatt, managing director of TNS's Global Technology sector, said.

Parijat Chakraborty, vice-president - technology, TNS India, said, "Demographic diversity and different cultures have made India an ideal breeding and testing ground for many mobile value-added services. Though India is behind in terms of contribution of VAS to the overall revenue, the country is ahead in terms of variety of VAS for consumers. Music-loving Indians find it a winning deal to have their  mobile handset doubling up as a centre of entertainment on the move."

The study, which interviewed 16,000 respondents across 29 countries, reports that , in the last year itself, the use of MP3 players on mobile phones has risen by 78 per cent and the use of radio via mobile by a massive 140 per cent. Among consumers in the 16-21 years, two-thirds of the respondents listened to music on-the-go.

Froggatt said, "Radio-enabled mobiles take away the need to have a separate music device such as an MP3 player and should enable phone manufacturers to win the battle for control of the earphones."