International Journal of Business and Social Science
Vol. 2 No. 9 [Special Issue - May 2011]
Mobile Phone Adoption & Consumption Patterns of University Students in
Pakistan
Ishfaq Ahmed*
Tehmina Fiaz Qazi
Hailey College of Commerce
University of the Punjab
Pakistan
E-mail: ishfakahmed@gmail.com*
Abstract
This study explores buying and re-buying activities of mobile phone; Preferences for Brands, Purchasing features
and Network providers; Account recharge activities and Calling & Texting patterns of mobile phone users in
Pakistan. For this purpose questionnaires were used as data collection tool. Students were selected as population
and Simple random sampling technique was used consisting of 500 respondents as total sample size. 400 students
responded back comprising 80% response rate for this study. This leads to conclude that mobile phone users in
Pakistan are not exhibiting addictive or over excessive usage pattern of mobile phone; they are loyal customers of
network providers, Nokia is their favorite manufacturing brand and U-fone is their favorite network provider and
consider almost all features of mobile phone at the time of purchasing.
Key words: Mobile Phone, Buying and Re-buying factors, Brands, Purchasing features, Network providers,
Account recharge, Calling & Texting patterns, students, professionals, Pakistan.
Introduction
Luxurious inventions are the miraculous output of technological revolution. Up-gradation of communication
channels has given a new face to the ways of correspondence among people thousands of miles away from each
other. Fixed telephone was invented in 19th century but invention of a portable cell phone was a fast turn into
the chain of technological expansion. A furious growth can be seen into the development mobile phone
technology. First official mobile phone was used in 1946 by Swedish Mobile and 1st strictly calling portable cell
phone was created by company, Motorola, in 1983 (www.tech-faq.com). Afterwards, mobile phone usage
proved to be contagious over period of time. Researches revealed that 1 billion mobile phone users were
accumulated in 20 years after its creation but growth was so unbelievable that it took just 40 months to strap up
another 1billion and then only 2 years to hit the 3.5billion users mark (www.mobilephonereviews.org).
Every comfort introduced by technological development also brings some hostile impacts along with. Likewise,
mobile phone technology has connected the masses in a magical way but its excessive usage has brought many
negative implications as well. People are no more taking it as an accessory; rather it has been becoming a
necessity of life. Users keep looking for upgrading of brands, models, network providers and other mobile phone
related accessories. Users seem so obsessive about all mobile phone related activities that its usage is going
beyond the limits of needs towards the spheres of addiction. Among the major non-drug addictions of this
century, mobile phone addiction is becoming a powerful phenomenon as proclaimed by Psychiatrists. Economic
loss and social isolation are the sufferings which an addictive victim passes through. They proposed that feeling
an overwhelming need to use the cell phone for more than half an hour per day is the symptom of being mobile
phone addict (www.smh.com.au). Excessive or obsessive use of cell phone leads to a mental disease mobile
phone dependence syndrome as proposed by Yang. A drop in incoming calls or text causes the arousal of such
symptoms especially among non-confident, unsociable and eccentric people. (www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
On the list of top 10 countries, Pakistan ranked 10th with largest number of mobile phone subscribers
(www.blog.myxnote.com). An increase from 300,000 (2001) to 90 million (2008) in Pakistan has been observed
(www.techlahore.com). Total mobile phone users were estimated to be 98 million in May, 2010 as per
announcement made by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Mobile phone users were growing at a
rate of 0.55% in April, 2010 and this rate increased to 0.72% in May, 2010 (Attaa). Mobile phone industry is one
of the fastest growing industries of consumption goods. Its users are multiplying with each day passing and it
encompasses almost all type of customer segments including not only students but professionals as well.
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