Grey matters

Connectivity has galloped, smartphones are growing at a fast clip and data may be the next big thing, but these developments seem to have eluded the older citizens of India and some other countries in Asia. According to a survey conducted by Telenor group in Asia, only 6 per cent account for users aged over 50. When it comes to mobile data, only 1 per cent is above 50. The survey found that non-data users have a lower income profile and were older than the average mobile user. See the infographic for trends in other Asian countries.

In Europe, only 18 per cent of internet users aged 45-54, over a three-month period, connected to the internet from mobile devices and only 11 per cent of users aged between 55 and 74 did so. Most senior users aged 65 to 74 (79 per cent) access the internet from home only, as do 53 per cent of users aged 55 to 64.

Even in the developed world, mobile internet is less popular among older internet users. The survey found that non-data users have a lower income profile and were older than the average mobile user.

Data on India was compiled by TNS Gallup on behalf of Telenor/Uninor. Bangladesh, Malaysian, and Thai statistics were compiled and extracted from national surveys and customer data by Telenor Research, DiGi of Malaysia and dtac of Thailand, respectively.

Thailand data represents postpaid only. Information also came from some other sources such as Pew Research Center. Some of the findings are from the overall industry and some others from Telenor business units.