New User Interface Boosts Mobile Data Use in Non-Smart Phones

­Australian mobile network operator, Telstra has reported a sharp uptake in mobile internet usage after it deployed its own unique user interface (UI), called the TelstraOne Experience in its 3G phones.

Ross Fielding, Executive Director Telstra Product Management, said "We looked at figures aggregated by handset type over the three months to September 30. We found that customers with the TelstraOne UI were 60 per cent more likely to use their phone on a weekly basis to access the mobile web compared to Telstra's regular 3G mobile customers," Mr Fielding said.

"Having to type a full web address on a mobile can be a barrier to connecting to the net. And our data indicates consumers are much more likely to head online when they can easily set up and personalise links to their favourite sites."

The TelstraOne Experience brings icon-driven web access - which is usually associated with smartphones - to other compatible 3G phones. Mobile users can select from almost 150 website links, phone features and widgets displayed as icons - which they can add to their MyPlace phone menu.

"Of the 50-plus external sites customers can choose to add to their MyPlace menu, Facebook, MySpace and Hotmail topped the list in terms of clicks per user - with the average Facebook user clicking through to the site more than once a day."

Telstra also looked at how consumers accessed the mobile web on two identical handsets - one with TelstraOne Experience installed and one without. The figures show mobile data use by volume was almost 7 per cent higher on TelstraOne UI devices while use of Sensis search was more than 8 times higher.

"We brought Sensis search up from a sub menu and integrated it with the home screen on TelstraOne devices. And as a result we've achieved a much higher utilisation because customers don't need to hunt through sub menus to find the search engine."

Telstra is also benefitting from increased content and data revenues. "Data and content revenue on TelstraOne Experience handsets is more than 11 per cent higher than on the identical handset model we compared," Mr Fielding said.

The volume of data carried on Telstra's Next G network - including to and from mobile handsets and mobile broadband devices - is currently doubling every 8 months.

Posted to the site on 17th November 2009