back to article Customers paying more and putting up with mobes for longer

Mobile phones are lasting Americans more than 20 months these days, which is good as the average bill has risen to $78 a month, according to JD Power. Those facts may be related, as longer contracts are used to subsidise more expensive handsets. That forces users to be content with what they've got for 17 per cent longer than …

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  1. Apocalypse Later

    "after all, we've got to pay for those shiny handsets somehow"

    Heck no. They are paying me. I took up a 24 month contract (300 minutes, unlimited texts, 500Mb data) on a 23 months for free (by redemption) deal, and then got another 50 quid back by going through a cashback site when signing up. Free Tocco lite, two years use of it, and 25 pounds profit.

    Yes, there's a catch. You have to remember to put in for the money. If you are lazy, forgetful, or disorganized you could end up paying after all.

    This deal is still available at mobiles.co.uk, and the extra cashback through:

    http://www.topcashback.co.uk/ref/LongPockets

    I also got £60 back from Topcashback when insuring my car (now £80 when you insure with the RAC).

    Do Americans not get these deals? They are common in the UK. Some people haven't paid for a phone, or service, in years.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    The need to constantly upgrade?

    ... other than to show our vain friends how vain we can be too by pumping our cash into shiny trinkets and waving a big apple shaped badge about. A a nation we are a company marketing department dream, all following like sheep into the latest must-have gadget

    My phone is years old, the buttons are all worn off but it still makes and receives calls, and I can't see why I would need an app for anything. The original contract is about 10 years old and less than half the price of new contracts with more minutes and texts than I can eat, I usually take the free upgrades and sell the phones on ebay for the Trinny and Susannah generation to swoon over.

  3. N2

    relationship with a handset?

    Just what exactly does this kind of shit mean in surveys, its a telephone FFS,

    After three double vodkas, Im in with a chance...

    So is this why they now come with wipe clean screens?

    almost makes sex with a goat palpable

  4. Code Monkey

    20 months

    Lucky basts. Try getting a contract for less than 24 months in the UK. It'll be PAYG for me when this on expires

  5. A. Lewis

    Hmmmm

    It's getting increasingly hard to find a good mobile contract for only 12 months. I've seen even quite basic handsets available only on 18 or 24 month contracts.

    The survey seems to suggest it's consumer choice to keep their phones longer, but I think it's more a case of the networks pushing the contract lengths up.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    All for good

    So now that the masses are becoming aware of the games played by the operators (Ive even seen 36 month contracts being touted) isnt it time that they all bought off plan phones since Android 2.2 is also becoming mass market (with the ZTE Racer and Huawei Ideos for $99 each) ? Thanks to the Chinese for that.

    People can even afford to change handsets twice a year when a shiny new model at $ 99 comes along and still not be out of pocket, spread over 2 or 3 years.

    This will bring true transparency in Operator charges, who have had it very comfy over the years and let them evolve into who they really are - DUMB PIPES carriers.

    Its the general consensus that they have recovered their capex long ago and are just shouting and screaming when dragged out of their cosy setup.

    About time for a Shakeup and shakeout.

    Paris, cos even she would know when the times up.

  7. CareTaker
    Troll

    I thought

    there was a poll and there was a dicision not to call these shiny communication devices "mobe(s)". Apart from this site, I have never heard that name used for them.

  8. Chris 211

    end users not a clue

    I'll clarify that, most end users dont have a clue why they have a smart phone and smart phone numbers are not driven by end users. Its the networks/handset makers that drive the 'need'. I get asked why I have a Nokia e71 all the time. Why dont I have an iPhone or an Android after all I am a geek.....(FFS). Thats because battery life, making phone calls, tasks, diary, contacts with a little emailing is my main concern not slapping a cat (a fun app on the android). I bet someone shouts oh you can do all that on an iPhone *BATTERY LIFE!* I will shout back at them plus DECENT KEYBOARD being the second bonus for me. So there you have it, tools for the job. Now that HTC Sync can now sync notes (apparently) I am looking at the HTC Desire Z...... Oh shit BATTERY LIFE... Doh!

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    twenty months?!

    20 months?! That's the average for a mobile these days?

    My handset must be 120 months old now. Still works perfectly and ironically usually performs better on battery life and reception than newer phones.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Might feature-saturation not also be a factor?

    Phones have now reached such a level of maturity that new releases feature incremental rather than revolutionary, "must-have", improvements to their feature-set, and often new features are being implemented through software rather than hardware. Furthermore, phones are increasingly a commodity item, so there's less impetus to change phones as a fashion or status statement.

  11. Justin 9
    Thumb Down

    Fanbois

    Apple fan bois self promoting there very expensive toys never heard of such a thing.

    Nokia, Will they ever convert to android?? Symbian is dead forget maemo and meego and plump for Android.

  12. JaitcH
    Pint

    The American market is unlike others

    This survey is applicable to a single market, may be even Canada but it/they are distinctly different to markets in other parts of the world.

    In my country of residence we can buy a promo SIM. Every month I buy a promo SIM for £1.62, get £5.19 total credit, and then I add £5 onto it, and I can use unlimited InterNet on a USB GSM modem. Great deal!

    I dupe the SIM and can use multiple devices although only one at a time (no concurrency). All our cell devices are unlocked at sale - it's the law!

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