The EC's annual eCommunication survey, conducted last October by Eurostat, looked at the uptake of internet-based communication services and the perceived consumer protection when using such services. The input will help the EC's review of the telecom regulatory framework.
The survey shows Europeans overwhelmingly prefer mobile phones over fixed lines; three-quarters (74%) said mobile telephony is by far the most important communication service in their daily life, while a third (34% ) named mobile internet and only 32 percent fixed lines. Among 15-25 year-olds, mobile internet was the second-most important for 62 percent, and the survey found 58 percent of under-29s living along have only a mobile phone and no fixed line. While SMS remains the second-most used communications service, used by 75 percent of people, instant messaging is catching up quickly and is used by 53 percent of people. Among 15-24 year-olds, 68 percent said they use instant messaging daily.
A large majority of consumers (86%) agreed that the same level of consumer protection that applies for traditional communication services should apply to online communication services. More than two thirds of people in every EU country agreed with this. Over three -quarters (78%) want to be able to take emails and other content with them when changing providers.
