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Teens Say They Need More Time to Talk; Survey By MetroPCS Reveals How Teens Use Wireless, How They Buy It, and What Their Parents Think About It All

October 17, 2002
PR Newswire

More than half of teenagers surveyed about their wireless phone usage say they cut conversations short to stay within the minutes of their monthly service plan. Less than half are regular users of wireless data services like text messaging. And most agree that their parents keep a close eye on their wireless phone habits.

These findings stem from a survey of around 800 randomly selected teenagers ages 13 to 17 in Atlanta, Miami and Sacramento. MetroPCS, a wireless service provider offering unlimited, anytime local calls for $35 per month with no contract, commissioned the survey in the markets where it offers service in order to better understand teenagers' and parents' wireless usage and buying preferences.

Market Trends Inc. conducted the survey from July 8 through August 16 via telephone and the Web. The survey results measured at a 95 percent confidence level, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percent. Key findings include:

Teens want to talk even more.
The majority of teens spend more than five minutes on their average wireless phone conversation, but less than 75 percent talk more than 10 minutes on each call. That could be because 57 percent of teenagers have to shorten their conversations so they do not exceed the minutes in their monthly plan. An overwhelming majority (seven out of 10) said they would talk on their wireless phone more if they had unlimited monthly minutes. Monthly price and voice features are currently more important than wireless data services.

Teens in MetroPCS' markets rated monthly price, minutes of use, and voice features like call waiting and voice mail as more important than text messaging when they are purchasing wireless service. Six out of 10 teenagers have the ability to text message on their phone, but most are not currently regular users of the service. Only 30 percent use text messaging at least once per week, and 23 percent say they never use this feature. Ten percent of teenagers said they surf the Internet from their phone.

Parents are very involved in their teenagers' wireless phone use.
According to the majority of the teenagers, their parents are highly involved in their wireless purchase decisions, payment and usage. Parents of most teenagers (eight out of 10) are involved in the decision to select a wireless carrier, and they make the final decision more than half of the time. Similarly, most teens say their parents pay for some portion of their monthly wireless bill, and two-thirds say their parents pay for all of the bill. On average, teens and/or their parents pay a little more than $50 per month for wireless phone service.

Parents' involvement does not stop when their child gets their phone. Sixty-seven percent of teenagers say their parents keep track of their monthly minutes, and some even go as far as punishing their teen for going over their monthly limit.

Teens overwhelmingly like a flat rate, unlimited local calling plan.
The majority of teenagers said that monthly price and number of minutes are the most important aspects of wireless service, more than long distance, phone selection, and features such as call waiting and voice mail, and text messaging. A wireless plan with unlimited local calling for a flat monthly rate appealed to seven out of 10 teenagers.

"The survey results validate our belief that for teens and parents in all of our markets, the most important aspect of wireless service is getting to talk as much as they want, whenever they want, without having a huge bill at the end of the month. Our flat rate plan of $35 per month gives parents peace of mind and teenagers greater independence, plus the added bonus that they never have to sign a contract," said Roger Linquist, founder and CEO of MetroPCS. "Teenagers and their parents represent a significant market opportunity for wireless carriers, and are one of the many consumer segments that are attracted to MetroPCS' service plan."

About MetroPCS Inc.
MetroPCS Inc., headquartered in Dallas, holds licenses to offer local wireless phone service to customers who live, work and play in and around the metropolitan areas of Atlanta, Miami, San Francisco and Sacramento. MetroPCS frees customers from the frustration of wireless offerings by providing one low monthly cost and one simple plan with unlimited anytime minutes, competitive long distance rates and no contract. The company is among the first wireless operators to deploy an all-digital network based on third generation infrastructure and handsets. For more information visit www.metropcs.com.

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