Characteristics and expenditure patterns of Australian households using mobile phones

This study examines the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of Australian households which had mobile phones, and their expenditure on mobile phone services. The study is based on data collected in the Household Expenditure Survey conducted by the ABS in 19981999 in a nationally representative sample of households. Our findings indicate that in 1998-1999 there were 2.66 million households who had one or more mobile phones, which accounted for 37 % of all households. Younger and more affluent households had a higher propensity to have mobile phones, as were the migrant households from Asian and non-European countries. An average household was estimated to have spent $56.25 per month on mobile phones, which indicates that the total size of the domestic mobile phone market in 1998-1999 was about $1.8 billion. This was the amount spent by Australian households in 1998-1999 and did not include the cost of mobile phones used by the public and commercial sectors.