SMALL CITIES DRIVE GROWTH OF SMART PHONES

About 70 per cent students today own smart phones with a larger user base in smaller cities than the metropolitan cities, according to a survey by software services firm TCS. Nearly six out of 10 post-millennial respondents own a smart phone, but what is remarkable is that the difference in ownership patterns between metros (58.50 per cent) and mini metros (59.36 per cent) is not much with the smaller cities scoring over the larger ones, TCS said in a statement. The survey was conducted on nearly 17,500 high school students across 14 Indian cities, which revealed that smart devices and unprecedented levels of online access are making this generation the most connected yet. This is changing the way they communicate with each other and transforming both their academic and social lives, it said. Samsung emerged as the most popular brand with 48.28 per cent respondents agreeing, while Nokia and Apple followed with 46.46 per cent and 39.56 per cent respondents saying they owned electronics products of these brands. While nearly seven out of 10 high school students said they own mobile phones, about 20 per cent said they use mobile phones to access internet (compared to just 12 pc in 2009). Mobile phones also emerged as fastest growing mediums for accessing internet among post-millennials (18.17 percent). About 62 per cent said they bought movie tickets online, while 47 per cent purchased books, DVDs and music. Facebook is the most popular social networking site with 83.38 per cent saying they are registered it, while 91.54 per cent said this was also their most preferred portal. "The survey shows the increasing comfort levels that the Post-Millennial generation exhibit with digital technology, social networking, smart phones and gaming, which helps us create conditions to unleash their creativity and innovativeness," TCS Executive Vice President and Global Head HR Ajoy Mukherjee said. This can help us not just attract the best of talent but also aid in keeping them engaged and energised, he added. Facebook /Twitter also emerged as the preferred mode of communication over SMS with 73.68 per cent opting for the former compared to 53.84 per cent agreeing in favour of messaging.