UK users are spending more per month

The UK remains world capital of mobile phone subsidy, according to market researchers GfK.

GfK believes that operators may seek to limit the threat of Mobile VoIP by driving customers onto higher priced tariffs made attractive by heavily subsidised phones.

GfK found that in the 12 months (July'05 - July '06) the amount customers spent on mobile tariffs increased. For the two years previous, only 20% of customers were on tariffs of £35 - £50 but this doubled to 40% by July '06. Meanwhile the proportion of customers on tariffs under £25 per month had fallen from 22% to nearly 10%.