Adherence rate to mobile services grows among the elderly

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An analysis carried out by Marktest using the Barómetro das Telecomunicações indicates that the Portuguese between 55 and 64 years old are the age group where the growth rate of mobile phone use was the highest between June 2001 and 2005, registering an increase of 59.1 percent.

Despite the increase in the use of mobile phones, the elderly continue to be the group that uses this equipment least, with young people between 15 and 24 years old occupying the first place in the table.

The study also reveals that it is among women that this market has witnessed the highest growth rates, with 37.5 percent, and men continue to lead the ranking in the table.

In relation to the regions of the country where most mobile phones are used, the highest growth rates were observed in the North Interior (43.6 percent), with an increase in the number of lower class individuals who own a mobile phone (42.2 percent).

The adult and young population residing in greater Lisbon and greater Porto, belonging to upper and upper middle classes, continues to lead the ranking of the table with the highest penetration of mobile phones, similarly to what happened in 2001.

In Portugal, as in other European countries, the penetration rate for mobile services has already exceeded 100 percent, a fact attributed to the existence of more than one card per user. However, as the Marktest study shows, despite the high utilization rate, there are still significant asymmetries in terms of age, social class and geographic location.

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