Mobile phone ownership is near-ubiquitous in Australia — if you’re under 65. After that, it turns out people are a lot keener on the old-fashioned land line (Internet connection optional).
Senior phone picture from Shutterstock
New figures from the Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) suggest one quarter of Australians aged 65 or over have a fixed-line phone but no mobile phone. That’s 855,000 people for whom a landline remains the only way to get in touch. (For the overall population, just 7 per cent only have a fixed-line service.)
While that does mean three-quarters of older Aussies do have a mobile phone, that doesn’t mean it’s heavily used. This chart highlights the differences between older phone owners and the population at large:
The lesson here? Take some time to teach older friends or relatives how to get the most from their mobile. You’ll both be glad you did.
Comments
3 responses to “Elderly Australians Still Aren’t That Keen On Mobile Phones”
Surprising results. I thought based on what I see at work that a lot more older folks were getting into it. A lot of the women at work who have grandkids are pretty heavy mobile phone users for getting pics of the grandkids at any given moment (and sometimes even Skype.) Particularly the ones with family who live far away. Seems like a pretty great use of the technology to me.
I have a fixed line AND a mobile. Granted, the fixed line is there primarily for my ADSL2 connection, but I still use it to make calls as well when I’m at home.
I technically have a land line too. I got it through TPG. It was the same price with the land line and internet, as just the internet. I’ve never used it in the 1.5 years I’ve had it.