Young smartphone users use video streaming apps to gauge network quality

Young smartphone users take into account how their favourite social media and video streaming apps perform on the network rather than the extent and reach of network coverage to continue their services with an operator, a report revealed on Tuesday.
In high-growth markets such as India and Brazil, mobile broadband experience is twice as important in driving smartphone user-loyalty compared to voice experience, said the Ericsson Consumer Lab report, adding that Mobile broadband experience has three times more impact on smartphone user-loyalty.
“As new apps emerge and video usage behaviour evolves, network performance will matter more than ever and will determine how loyal smartphone users will be to their operators,” said Jasmeet Singh Sethi, Senior Advisor, Ericsson ConsumerLab, in a statement
Globally, 26% of smartphone users say they face video streaming issues daily, increasing to over one third in markets like India, Brazil and Indonesia.
While mobile broadband coverage has improved, the ever-evolving nature of apps and new video streaming behaviour is placing different demands on a network’s expected performance.
One-third of the South Korean smartphone users say that they watched both live-streamed videos broadcast by others and professional content; in the US, 14% have started to use live-streaming apps.
While only 5% of smartphone users explicitly state they will switch operators, loyalty profiling reveals 28% are at more risk of switching.
Among those users who are most likely to switch, twice as many face video streaming issues on a daily basis compared to those who are most loyal, the report added.