Only 14 percent of the handsets used in CEE are smartphones

Newsroom 08/11/2011 | 14:59

Only 14 percent of the handsets in the Central and Eastern European region are smartphones, according to GfK’s CEE Telco Industry Report 2011, a survey carried out in 15 countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

In countries such as Slovenia, Turkey and Lithuania, smartphones are more widely used while in Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania smartphone usage is still not widespread.

A ratio of 31 percent of the people who shop online are owners of smartphones.

Users of smartphones are generally more active in using the internet and are more interested in online services such as online purchases and internet banking. 75 percent of smartphone users in the CEE access social networks to talk to other people.

Generally, less than 20 percent of internet users in CEE shop online. Citizens of the Czech Republic are the most willing to shop online in the region and generally look for bargains. Slovakia and Slovenia are also leaders in online purchases in the region. Countries such as Turkey, Ukraine and Kazakhstan are still in the first stages of online shopping.

The number of men who have smartphones is only 3 percent higher than the number of female smartphone users. IN countries such as Lithuania, Letonia and Russia, the number of men who have a smartphone is comparable to that of women. On the other hand, in Slovenia and the Czech Republic, men are usually users of smartphones.

Otilia Haraga