JD Power 2006 U.S. Wireless Mobile Phone Evaluation Study

Sony Ericsson Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction

According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 U.S. Wireless Mobile Phone Evaluation Study, Sony Ericsson ranks highest in satisfying customers who have owned their current mobile phone for less than two years.

The study measures customers’ satisfaction with their wireless handsets based on five key performance factors. In order of importance, these are: physical design (24%); operation (22%); features (20%); handset durability (19%); and battery function (15%).

Sony Ericsson receives the highest ratings from customers in handset durability, and also performs particularly well in features and battery functionality. LG, Sanyo and Motorola, respectively, follow Sony Ericsson in the overall rankings.

Source: J.D. Power and Associates 2006 US Wireless Mobile Phone Evaluation Study

The study finds that the average reported purchase price for a wireless handset has increased for the first time in two years. The average purchase price cited by users for a mobile phone is $94—up $8 from the first volume of the study in 2006, which was released in May—and marks the highest average price paid for a phone since 1994, when phones averaged $99.

The study also finds several key wireless handset usage patterns:

• The average replacement cycle for a typical handset is 16.6 months—a notable decrease from 18 months in 2005.
   
• Handset features that are used most frequently include: the speakerphone (32%); camera capabilities (27%); services to send/receive short messages (25%); and gaming (16%).
   
• More than one-half of all current wireless users compared other handset brands before selecting their current wireless phone. Those customers who compare phones during the selection process are more likely to be satisfied overall with their current handset than those who do not.