STUDY: Over half of Brits have no clue what data roaming is
You may think you know your stuff when it comes to the latest smart phones, but could you tell us what MMS, data roaming and 3GS all mean without having to think about it? Thought not, and it seems you’re not alone with the majority of Brits revealing they don’t understand a lot of mobile-related terminology. But which term or service or product has us the most stumped?
Well, according to a new study conducted by GoodMobilePhones.co.uk, more than 62% of Brits don’t know what data roaming is, which would explain those massive phone bills when people step off the plane after a week abroad…
More than 1,680 mobile phone users were asked “Which mobile phone related terms do you not fully understand, if any?” and were asked to select all that applied from a list of possible answers.
Here are the five that have us most confused:
1. Data Roaming – 62%
2. 3G – 56%
3. MMS – 47%
4. Wi-Fi – 43%
5. Bluetooth – 28%
It seems a quarter of those who said they were unsure about data roaming were just being modest and could define the term when asked, but most thought it was something to do with “accessing emails”, which we suppose isn’t that far off. Kinda.
The study may have just been a bit of fun, but it does show that we’re really not as clued up as we should be when it comes to how our mobile phones and network providers actually work.
If you’re worried about data roaming charges in the future, instead of burying your head in the sand try out an app specially built to keep a track of your spending while you’re abroad, like Onavo or My Data Manager (both available from iTunes and the Android Market), which enable you to monitor your spending and avoid any nasty surprises when you get home.
