hand phone survey booklet
TRANSCRIPT
STATISTICAL BRIEF NUMBER THREE
ISSN: 1823-2523
Featuring the
Hand PhoneUsers Survey 2
00
5
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia CommissionThe information or material in this publication is protected under copyright and, save where otherwise stated,may be reproduced for non-commercial use provided it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleadingcontext. Where any material is reproduced, MCMC as the source of the material must be identified and thecopyright status acknowledged.
Published by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor Darul EhsanTel:+6 03 8688 8000 Fax:+6 03 8688 1006 Website: http://www.mcmc.gov.my
From the chairman 2
Introduction 3
Main findings 5
Tables 10
RSE tables 15
Glossary 19
The MCMC CATI Centre 21
Contents
2
From the Chairman
This is the third issue in the Statistical Briefs series published by the MalaysianCommunications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). Statistical Briefs presentmain findings of selected primary statistical surveys conducted by the MCMCwhich are of direct interest to a broad cross section of the Malaysian public.
This issue features the main findings of the Hand Phone Users Survey 2005(HPUS 2005). The HPUS 2005 is the second annual Hand Phone Users Surveyconducted by the MCMC to provide timely statistics for tracking trends in handphone usage in Malaysia.
The canvassing period of the survey extended from 9 August to 18 September2005 from MCMC's CATI Centre and had a response rate of 79.0 %. A write-upon MCMC’s CATI Centre is also included in this issue.
I would like to commend the Industry Development Division for the successfulconduct of the HPUS 2005.
A listing of all surveys published under the Statistical Briefs series can be foundin the last page.
Last but not least I would like to thank those who responded to the survey.Without their cooperation, this survey would not have been possible.
Dato' V. Danapalan
3
Target population
This is the second annual Hand Phone Users Surveyconducted by the Malaysian Communications andMultimedia Commission. The objective of this survey isto estimate proportions of the subscriber base that fallinto the classes of the various categorization schemes ofthe key variables.
Proper use of these estimated proportions in conjunctionwith the total known subscriber base as well as populationestimates will facilitate the derivation of the various handphone penetration rates.
The survey also probed the following:
▲ age▲ gender▲ ethnicity▲ nationality▲ usual state of residence▲ urban/rural distribution▲ occupational status▲ income
as well as other aspects of user and current trends:
▲ preferred payment plan▲ SMS usage▲ average monthly charges▲ incidence of consumer m-commerce ▲ awareness of 3G▲ use of VOIP▲ receptiveness to number portability
The target population included all main users of handphones on all digital platforms in the states and territoriesmaking up the Federation of Malaysia. These were themain users of the 012, 013, 016, 017 and 019 networks.Both postpaid or prepaid users were covered.
Introduction
Objective
4
Reference dateand geographiccoverage of the
survey
The reference date of the survey was 31 May 2005.The survey was canvassed using a CATI solution andoperated out of MCMC's CATI Centre at Shah Alam. Thecanvassing period extended from 9 August 2005 to 18September 2005.
No statistical unit and no segment of the target population was excluded on the grounds of geographicalinaccessibility or service non coverage or on any othergrounds.
Using AAPOR Formula Number 1, the survey recorded aresponse rate of 79%.
The sample size was determined as 4,925 units ( = 0.01and d= 0.02)
There was only one stage of sample selection as thesurvey adopted a SRS approach. Stratification was notpossible because a suitable variable for stratification wasnot available.
As at 31 May 2005, there were 16,243,337 hand phonesubscriptions on the 5 digital networks operating in thecountry.
The questionnaire was administered by CATI.Interviewers call up main users of selected hand phonenumbers to seek their cooperation. Answers given toprecoded questions were clicked in while open endedanswers were typed in. Interviewing time extended from10:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekdays and weekends.
Response Rate
Methodology
Method of administering the
instrument
The main findings of the Hand Phone Users Survey 2005are as follows:
93.7 percent of hand phone subscribers are Malaysianwhile 6.3 percent are Non-Malaysian.
The survey findings showed Selangor having the largestshare of subscriber base accounting for 24.7 percent.
This is followed by Johor (13.7 percent) and WPKL (9.7percent). Percentages in the other states range from 2.9percent to 7.4 percent with the exceptions of Perlis andthe Federal Territory of Labuan where the proportions are0.8 percent and 0.2 percent respectively.
WPKL9.7%
5
Nationality
State
Main Findings
Selangor24.7%
Johor13.7%
6
Ethnicity
State
Selangor 24.7
Johor 13.7
WP KL 9.7
Pulau Pinang 7.4
Perak 7.3
Sabah 6.4
Kedah 5.9
Sarawak 5.9
Pahang 4.5
Negeri Sembilan 3.9
Kelantan 3.7
Melaka 3.0
Terengganu 2.9
Perlis 0.8
WP Labuan 0.2
The survey showed that Malays account for 53.9 percentof the subscriber base while the Chinese account for32.4 percent. Bumiputra (Sabah and Sarawak) take up6.5 percent, Indians 6.3 percent, while other Malaysianminorities take up the remaining 0.9 percent.
Percentage share of hand Ethnic Group phone subscriber base
Malay 53.9
Chinese 32.4
Bumiputra (Sabah and Sarawak) 6.5
Indian 6.3
Others 0.9
Percentage share of hand phone subscriber base
7
Gender Survey results show that males make up 57.4 percent ofthe subscriber base while females take up the remaining42.6 percent.
Broad agegroups
Pre-teens and teens (users up to the age of 19) accountfor 13.1 percent of the subscriber base. Adults (usersfrom 20 to 49 years of age as at last birthday) accountedfor 78.2 percent while seniors (aged 50 and above)account for 8.7 percent.
Urban-rural sector The percentage distribution by urbanicity is work inprogress.
Payment plan Percentage distribution of subscribers by payment plansees prepaid subscriber base at 80.4 percent while post-paid at 19.6 percent.
Average monthlycharges
51.3 percent of users do not exceed RM 50.00 per monthon the average while 27.5 percent spent between RM50.00 to RM 100.00 per month on average.
A further 10.2 percent spent between RM 100.00 to RM 150.00 while 3.6 percent had monthly bills in betweenRM 150.00 to RM 200.00. Only 7.4 percent had bills overRM 200.00.
Main Findings
57.4% 42.6%
13.1%
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SMS usage
Consumer M-Commerce
Only 18.7 percent of hand phone subscribers purchasedproducts or services through their hand phone during thepast 3 months.
3G Services
SMS usage reports a significant 84.9 percent of users inthe subscriber base. The percentage of users sending outmore than 5 SMS messages in a day on average is 49.6 percent.
SMS Per Day Percentage share of hand phone subscriber base
Zero 15.1
One 7.6
Two 8.1
Three 9.2
Four 3.0
Five 7.4
More than 5 49.6
52.8 percent of total subscribers are aware of 3G.
Among those who are aware of 3G but have no intentionto migrate, the following reasons were given:
Reason Percentage
Don't need the service at the moment 54.8
The phone is too expensive 37.0
The service is too expensive 31.2
You want to "wait and see" 28.9
Others 15.1
*This is a multiple response question.
9
VOIP 60.8 percent of subscribers cannot distinguish betweenVOIP telephony and other forms of telephony.
Of those who are aware, only 17.4 percent use it as a substitute for mobile phone call.
Number Portability Of those who are not satisfied with their current serviceprovider, 56.9% are in favour of number portability.
Of those likely to port their number, 63.6 percent are ofopinion that RM 10 is a fair price to pay for this service.
Employmentstatus
53.1 percent of hand phone subscribers areemployed. Students make up for the second highestwith 16.1 percent. The remainder consist of Self-Employed (11.9 percent), Employer (6.7 percent) and Unemployed (12.2 percent)
Income category 37.3 percent of hand phone subscribers had incomesranging from RM 1,000 to RM 3,000. As much as 26.7 percent of users reported monthly incomes of less thanRM 1,000.
6.5 percent earned from RM 3,000 to RM 5,000 and 3.7percent had incomes in excess of RM 5,000.
25.8 percent reported having no income at all.
Main Findings
10
Table 1
Table 2
Tables
Caution is required in the use of the estimates tabulatedbelow.
Whilst the MCMC takes every care to minimise non-sam-pling errors, which cannot be quantified, the estimatespresented are also subject to sampling error, which is ameasure of the chance variation that occurs because asample, and not the entire population is canvassed. Thesampling error of an estimate is usually expressed as a percentage of that estimate to give the relative samplingerror (RSE) of that estimate.
In general, estimates that are small are subject to highRSEs. As a guide, only estimates with RSEs of 25 percentor less are considered reliable for general use. Estimateswith RSEs greater than 25% but less than or equal to 50percent are denoted with an asterisk in these tables andshould be used with caution while those with RSEs greaterthan 50 percent are denoted by two asterisks and areconsidered too unreliable for general use. However theseestimates may be aggregated with others until an RSE ofless than 25 percent is obtained.
Confidence intervals for very small estimates should bebased on the binomial distribution rather than the normalapproximation to the binomial. As an alternative, themethod of Korn and Graubard, 1998 may also be used.
Percentages may not add up to 100.0 percent because ofrounding.
Gender
Percent
Male 57.4
Female 42.6
Nationality
Percent
Malaysian 93.7
Non-Malaysian 6.3
11
Table 3
Table 4
Table 5
Tables
Ethnic origin
Percent
Malay 53.9
Bumiputra (Sabah/Sarawak) 6.5
Chinese 32.4
Indian 6.3
Others 0.9
Age category
Percent
Below 15 1.6
15-19 11.5
20-24 20.9
25-29 16.2
30-34 15.0
35-39 10.1
40-44 9.7
45-49 6.3
Above 50 8.7
State
Percent
Johor 13.7
Kedah 5.9
Kelantan 3.7
Melaka 3.0
Negeri Sembilan 3.9
Pahang 4.5
Penang 7.4
Perak 7.3
Perlis 0.8
Sabah 6.4
Sarawak 5.9
Selangor 24.5
Terengganu 2.9
WP KL 9.7
WP Labuan 0.2*
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Table 6
Table 7
Table 8
Table 9
Payment plan
Percent
Postpaid 19.6
Prepaid 80.4
Monthly hand phone charges
Percent
Bill <= RM50 51.3
RM50 < Bill <= RM100 27.5
RM100 < Bill <= RM150 10.2
RM150 < Bill <= RM200 3.6
Bill > RM200 7.4
SMS per day
Percent
Zero 15.1
One 7.6
Two 8.1
Three 9.2
Four 3.0
Five 7.4
More than Five 49.6
Consumer M-Commerce
Percent
Yes 18.7
No 81.3
13
Table 10
Table 11
Table 12
Table 13
Tables
Awareness of 3G
Percent
Yes 52.8
No 47.2
Reason for not wanting to migrate to 3G
Percent
Don't need the service at the moment 54.8
The phone is too expensive 37.0
The service is too expensive 31.2
You want to 'wait and see' 28.9
Others 15.1
* Multiple responses
Awareness of VOIP
Percent
Yes 39.2
No 60.8
VOIP as a substitute for mobile phone calls
Percent
Yes 17.4
No 82.6
14
Table 14
Table 15
Employment status
Percent
Self-Employed 11.9
Employer 6.7
Employed 53.1
Unemployed 12.2
Student 16.1
Income category
Percent
No Income 25.8
Inc <= RM1,000 26.7
RM1,000 < Inc <= RM3,000 37.3
RM3,000 < Inc <= RM5,000 6.5
Inc > RM5,000 3.7
15
Table 1
Table 2
Table 3
Table 4
RSE Tables
Gender
RSE
Male 1.4
Female 1.9
Nationality
RSE
Malaysian 0.4
Non-Malaysian 6.2
Ethnic origin
RSE
Malay 1.5
Bumiputra (Sabah/Sarawak) 6.4
Chinese 2.4
Indian 6.5
Others 17.3
Age category
RSE
Below 15 12.8
15-19 4.5
20-24 3.2
25-29 3.7
30-34 3.9
35-39 4.8
40-44 4.9
45-49 6.2
Above 50 5.2
16
Table 5
Table 6
Table 7
State
RSE
Johor 4.1
Kedah 6.5
Kelantan 8.3
Melaka 9.2
Negeri Sembilan 8.1
Pahang 7.5
Penang 5.8
Perak 5.8
Perlis 17.6
Sabah 2.8
Sarawak 9.5
Selangor 6.2
Terengganu 6.5
WP KL 4.9
WP Labuan 35.3
Payment plan
RSE
Postpaid 3.3
Prepaid 0.8
Monthly hand phone charges
RSE
Bill <= RM50 1.7
RM50 < Bill <= RM100 2.6
RM100 < Bill <= RM150 4.8
RM150 < Bill <= RM200 8.4
Bill > RM200 5.7
17
Table 8
Table 9
Table 10
Table 11
Table 12
RSE Tables
SMS per day
RSE
Zero 3.8
One 5.7
Two 5.5
Three 5.1
Four 9.2
Five 5.7
More than Five 1.9
Consumer M-Commerce
RSE
Yes 3.4
No 0.8
Awareness of 3G
RSE
Yes 1.5
No 1.7
Reason for not wanting to migrate to 3G
RSE
Service not available 11.2
The phone is too expensive 3.5
The service is too expensive 4.0
You want to 'wait and see' 4.2
Don't need the service at the moment 2.4
Others 8.2
Awareness of VOIP
RSE
Yes 2.5
No 1.3
18
Table 13
Table 14
Table 15
VOIP as a substitute for mobile phone calls
RSE
Yes 5.6
No 1.2
Employment status
RSE
Self-Employed 4.4
Employer 6.0
Employed 1.5
Unemployed 4.4
Student 3.7
Income category
RSE
No Income 2.8
Inc <= RM1,000 2.7
RM1,000 < Inc <= RM3,000 2.1
RM3,000 < Inc <= RM5,000 6.2
Inc > RM5,000 8.3
19
Hand phone
Ethnicity
Age
Usual state ofresidence
The hand phone is seen as personal and not householdequipment. This is because hand phones are normallytaken away by their main users when they leave the houseor office. Also, when the hand phone rings at home, moreoften than not the person who answers it is the main useras calls received by that device are expected to be forhim. (see also definition of main user)
The main user may or may not be the legal owner of thedevice. He may also not be the one who pays for the billsincurred as in the case of supplementary subscriptionsand company paid subscriptions.
The ethnicity of an off-spring of mixed parentage is Malayif either parent is Malay, or recorded as reported or takesthe ethnicity of the father if undecided.
Age referred to age as at last birthday.
Usual state of residence refered to the state where therespondent has a home and has stayed continuouslythere for the past 6 months.
If he has stayed for less than 6 months but knows beyondreasonable doubt that he will be there for at least 6months continuously, then he should be counted in thatstate. This is especially so in cases where the respondenthas just been transferred in, prior to the interview takingplace.
If a respondent knows that he will be moving to anotherstate shortly but has not done so yet at the time of theinterview then he should not be counted as a resident ofthe state where he is moving to. This is especially so incases where the respondent is in notice of transfer buthas not moved yet.
Usual state of residence does not refer to the state whereancestral homes or kampungs are located.
Glossary
Main user
20
Monthlyhandphone
charges
SMS
Refers to average charges on the hand phone throughwhich the interview took place and does not include thecharges on another hand phone that the respondentmight have.
In the case of prepaid subscriptions, the monthly hand-phone charges refer to the average top up per month.
Includes MMS
21
Introduction
The MCMC CATICentre
At the heart of any statistical survey is the data collectionstage. This stage is the most critical stage in any surveyas no amount of statistical refinement can make up for thelack of quality in data. Therefore the MCMC takes everyreasonable measure to ensure that only quality dataenters its statistical system.
There are a number of ways of getting the data that isrequired in any survey.
First, there is the observation method where the data collector observes the occurrence or non-occurrence ofan event. Examples include traffic, shopper behaviour etcwhere the subject is observed from afar.
Second, some surveys attempt to fathom non-observablecharacteristics such as opinions, preferences, educationalattainment, monthly income etc. Such surveys requireinteraction with the subject. Typically the selected subjectis approached and his or her cooperation sought to givethe required data subject to some satisfactory confidentialityassurances. This may be done in a number of waysamong them, face-to-face, telephone, mail, email andweb. Each of these has their weaknesses and strengths.
Before the use of computers gained popularity, telephoneinterviews were conducted by an interviewer calling aselected number and asking questions from a printedquestionnaire and recording the results in the questionnaire itself. This necessitated a data capturephase before the results could be cleaned and analysed.
Modern technology has given brith to the ComputerAssisted Telephone Interviewing system a.k.a. CATI system. It is a system that pulls together the telephonenetwork and a computer network through a softwaresolution that enables the computer to mediate interviews.
Thus random telephone numbers may be generated bythe system or alternatively, telephone numbers may berandomly selected and then pumped into the system.The system then distributes these numbers at random tointerviewers who sit at booths which are equipped with aPC and a telephone each. The MCMC has 20 of thesebooths housed in an installation called the MCMC CATICentre.
The MCMC CATI Centre
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How It Works Numbers may be rung by the system or by the interviewersmanually. When a contact agrees to an interview, the inter-viewer asks the questions reading from an on-screenquestionnaire and clicks in the precoded answers. Openquestions can also be typed into answer boxes in the questionnaire. The answers are then collected back bythe CATI system to be stored in a database for subsequent download and analysis. This obviates theneed for a data-capture stage.
In order for the interviewing system to work correctly, thesurvey questionnaire has to be programmed (called"scripting") according to specifications. When correctlyscripted, the questionnaire can perform skips, branchesand loops based on the answers given by the respondent.
Over and above that, good CATI systems can controlfieldwork such as start up surveys and terminate them,generate statistics about the survey itself such asresponse rates, sample quotas and interviewer performances. It should also be capable of automaticappointment handling as well as allowing supervisorsto follow live interviews to ensure data quality.
23
Target population A schematic of the CATI system that MCMC CATI Centresupports appears below:
The MCMC CATI Centre
Courtesy of NIPO Softwarehttp://www.niposoftware.com
File Serveror surveys
folder
NIPOCATI
Manager
NIPOCATI
Manager
NIPOWatchSystem
NIPOWatchSystem
NIPOCATI FMS
Client
NIPOCATI FMS
Client
NIPOInterviewSystem
PBX
NIPOInterviewSystem
NIPOInterviewSystem
NIPOInterviewSystem
NIPOInterviewSystem
NIPOCATI
Master
NIPOCATI FMS
Server
SQLServer
Dialer
NIPOOdin
Developer
AnalysisTools
RPC
DCOM
DCOM
R/W access
Read access
RPC
ODBC
ODBC
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Our Interviewers Interviewers at MCMC's CATI Centre are handpicked.Most of them have at least the SPM but mature candidateswithout the SPM are also considered. Given the nature ofthe job, the candidate must first come across well on thephone. That is why all candidates for the job are requiredto enquire by phone. An initial assessment is made.Qualities looked for at this stage include a pleasant voice,good diction, self-confidence and politeness.
Interviewers at MCMC's CATI Centre are properlytrained. Prior to the commencement of each survey,the interviewers are provided intensive training on theorganisation, subject matter, questionnaire and teleph-ony skills:
▲ The organisationThe interviewers are briefed on the functions of theMCMC so that they may be able to answer simplequeries from respondents wishing to know more aboutthe organisation. More difficult queries are referred totheir supervisors who are statisticians with the MCMC.
▲ The subject matter Interviewers are trained on the subject matter of thesurvey. For example in the case of a survey on handphone users, interviewers will be given a roundup ofthe industry including some basic facts and figures.
▲ The questionnaire The interviewers are taken question by questionthrough the questionnaire and each term used isexplained to them so that they can in turn explain torespondents if required. Our trainers assume zeroknowledge in all surveys, even a hand phone userssurvey although practically all of our interviewers arehand phone users themselves; and should be able tounderstand the common terms used.
Skips and branches in the questionnaire and the logicbehind these are also explained. Interviewers areexpected to familiarize themselves with all questions inparticular those that need careful probing and thosethat needed cross-checking with answers given to earlier questions.
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▲ Telephony skillsThe MCMC uses an in-house training manual for telephone interviewing skills. This manual teachesthe do's and don'ts of telephone interviewingincluding conversational skil ls and telephone etiquette. It also imparts skills on handling difficultrespondents.
Once training in all four areas has been completed,mock runs are conducted to enable the interviewersto familiarize themselves with the CATI system. The performance of the interviewers are then reviewed.Those that do not meet MCMC's stringent standards are dropped while those who do, areinvited to become part time interviewers.
The MCMC maintains a database of all good interviewers and draws from this pool when itlaunches a survey.
The MCMC CATI Centre
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WEBSITE
STATISTICAL BUL-LETIN
STATISTICALBRIEF
HEAD
STATISTICIANS
FOR MORE STATISTICS
The MCMC website contains more statistics pertaining to theCommunications and Multimedia industry. This is updatedevery calendar quarter.www.mcmc.gov.my
The MCMC publishes Communications and Multimedia:Selected Facts and Figures, a quarterly statistical bulletin(ISSN:1675-6223). Contact the MCMC for more details.
The Statistical Brief (ISSN:1823-2523) and updates areissued by the MCMC to disseminate survey findings. Thesebriefs are aimed at the general to intermediate user audience.
Titles in this series so far:
Statistical Brief Number OneHand Phone Users Survey 2004
Statistical Brief Number TwoHousehold Use of the Internet Survey 2005
Statistical Brief Number ThreeHand Phone Users Survey 2005
THE STATISTICAL TEAM
Koay Hock Eng
Azilawati MasriMalini RamalingamNg Wai Mun
CONTACTS
For further information about these and related statistics,contact the following officers:
Koay Hock Eng : +603 8688 [email protected]
Malini Ramalingam : +603 8688 [email protected]
27
The primary role of the Malaysian Communications andMultimedia Commission is to implement and promote theGovernment's national policy objectives for the Communicationsand Multimedia sector set out in the Communications andMultimedia Act 1998 (CMA). The MCMC is also charged with overseeing the new regulatory framework for the convergingindustries of the telecommunications, broadcasting and onlineactivities, as well as postal services and digital certifications.
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