iYogi, a leading remote tech support company, has a hypothesis to test: “Is technology now the real utility?”
The company published a new report based on surveying nearly 1,100 of its customers to understand their technology usage and monthly spending on services.
The new report, “Consumer Research on Growing Spends on Technology Services 2012,” revealed that 63 percent of U.S. households spend 35 percent more on technology bills than utility bills.
The research also shows that mobile phones are at the top for monthly technology spending, with an average of $94 a month and an additional $19 on downloading games, music, movies, etc. Voice and data services are the most popular with 60 respondents subscribing to them.
The report found that the number of technology devices in households with more than two members goes up to 10-11, Triple Play (News - Alert) package for Internet, TV and phone is the most popular with 50 percent of respondents opting for this option, households spend $20-$180 per month on their Internet service provider bills, and nearly 30 percent of consumers use instant messaging applications.
The U.S. Department of Energy reports that consumers spend six to 12 percent of their income on utilities. Consumer spending on connecting to the Internet, subscribing to online services, mobile communication, and multimedia entertainment has risen substantially.
"iYogi Insights is a new initiative that reviews emerging and disruptive technologies and trends impacting our lives. Our large panel of customers, across multiple geographies, contribute to these insights," says Vishal Dhar, president marketing and co-founder of iYogi. "Technology is now the real utility as increasingly households spend more on a combination of technology bills to stay connected than their utility bills. The results of the survey also cite that technology continues to be the key enabler for empowering people in today's fast-paced interconnected world, driven by demand for newer and smarter devices that connect to the Internet and to each other."
In related news, Telappliant, the leading Internet telephony provider for U.K.-based small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), has published a whitepaper which examines the business benefits of fixed mobile convergence and how SMEs can achieve substantial cost savings and productivity gains by unifying their telecommunications.
Rachel Ramsey is a TMCnet editorial assistant, contributing news items and feature articles on a variety of communications and technology topics. Rachel has previously worked in PR and communications at The Wriglesworth Consultancy, an award-winning London PR firm. She has also contributed to the creative services department at CBS 3 and The CW Philly in Philadelphia. To read more of Rachel's articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Tammy Wolf
