Canadians have yet to fully embrace cellphone technology compared to other countries.
According to an international survey, Global Telecoms Insight, conducted by TNS Canadian Facts, which was released today, only 69 per cent of Canadians between 16 and 60 years of age own a cellphone.
More than 16,000 participants were asked to comment on their usage of and attitudes toward telecommunications devices.
In the United States, 90 per cent of Americans use cellphones and, in Britain, 97 per cent of the population are using wireless communication.
Canada is below the global average of regular cellphone use, 80 per cent, putting the country at the bottom of the list of 30.
The results show Canadians are satisfied with the quality and price of their land line phone services as proven by about one-third who do not own a cellphone confirming they have no intention of getting one in the next year.
"Canadians do not have the same attachment to and reliance on mobile phones as the rest of the world does," said Michael Ennamorato, senior vice-president at TNS Canadian Facts. "Making calls from landline phones in Canada is relatively inexpensive."
Canada was top three when it came to the list of countries with a high percentage of the population who reject the technology all together.
In Canada, 23 per cent fall into the rejection category only topped by Vietnam with 35 per cent and Mexico with 34 per cent.
A trend in responses to the survey showed Canadians are unwilling to pay a higher price for their next phone.
"This possibly stems from an inclination to assign a more limited role to wireless communications, as well as a tendency to lock into three-year plans offering free handsets," he added. "In this sense, the major carriers may have conditioned Canadians to focus on plans rather than hardware."
We even fall behind when it comes to upgrades of those who do carry the wireless technology. Most Canadians are on their third upgrade, replacing an old model with a new model, compared to owners in Hong Kong and Britain who are on their sixth.
The full version of the study is available at www.tns-cf.com.