Dynamics of Mobile Service Adoption

This study utilized a newly developed handset-based mobile end-user research platform and obtained data from 548 Finnish smartphone users in 2006. In addition to descriptive adoption statistics, a path analysis model is developed that explains mobile service adoption contingent on a set of explanatory variables. The paper finds that user intentions have a strong impact on consequent adoption of the service. What is more, perceived hedonic benefits from the service are the strongest factor driving user intentions to use the service. The perceived technical capability to use the service and the role of the surrounding social network explain little why early-adopter users intend to use services. Interestingly multimedia services are strongly driven by newer more capable handsets and mobile Internet browsing benefits significantly from block or flat-rate (instead of usage-based) pricing plans for transmitted data. The paper develops several indices that measure time-varying characteristics of mobile services.