There is a clear trend in Europe toward linking communications and consumer electronics to create the connected home, as evidenced by the growing demand reported by most private households. That is the result of an online survey conducted by the German market research and consulting agency PbS* on behalf of Siemens Gigaset (SHC). In January 2008, PbS asked a total of 1,400 participants aged 18 to 55 in seven countries (Germany, Italy, the UK, France, Sweden, the Netherlands and Dubai) about their attitudes toward and use of technical multi-media equipment in the home, and in particular about online services and VoIP telephony.
Networked world – facts and future outlook
According to the survey, 35 percent of all respondents already have networked devices at home; of these, 83 percent said they had two to three linked-up. To connect the individual devices, 64 percent use WLAN, 37 percent Ethernet and 20 percent Bluetooth. The proportion of households with two to three devices is highest in Germany and Sweden . In contrast, Italians and the Dutch make the least use of networking for their devices and show the lowest interest in it. A hefty 58 percent of all those surveyed consider the topic of ‘connected home’ to be of increasing importance in their own households.
Use of VoIP telephony
The study commissioned by SHC also revealed that Voice over IP telephony is growing in popularity. 27 percent of all respondents already use this technology. Dubai and Italy lead the way here with 33 and 42 percent respectively. International VoIP calls are made primarily from a PC or laptop. Traditional phones or phones in combination with VoIP-enabled routers are frequently used in the Netherlands , while the conventional IP phone is predominantly used for Internet calls in Sweden .
New VoIP services
The most popular VoIP services – apart from the front-runners e-mail notification and online telephone directories – are headline news and weather services. Those surveyed in Dubai have the greatest interest in additional VoIP services, including traffic and stock market information via phone.
Bluetooth for the home
The survey found that 25 percent of all respondents would like to use the Bluetooth headset of their mobile phone with a fixed-line phone. The figure is 32 percent in Germany and even higher – 39 percent – in Sweden .
Internet shopping is booming
PbS discovered that 24 percent of the study respondents intending to buy new technical devices in the next six months would like to purchase a cordless phone, while 17 percent are planning to buy a router or WLAN router. The Internet is their main source of information: 77 percent of all those surveyed get information on their future purchases online. Specialty retailers come in second in most countries with 40 to 50 percent, whereas a personal recommendation was named by an average of one in three respondents. When it is time to make a purchase, 32 percent buy the devices from specialty retailers, while 35 percent order them from online shops. Online shops rank top in Germany , the UK and Sweden , while consumers in France , Italy and Dubai prefer to go to a specialty store.
Full product range for ‘connected home’ and IP telephony
Siemens Home and Office Communication Devices has championed the connected home for some time. In recent years, all the products in the Gigaset portfolio have been developed with an eye on convergence and connectivity. For example, Siemens not only offers traditional cordless DECT phones, but also compatible solutions such as IP phones and gateways. SHC recently rolled out a new gateway with an integrated media server. The communications expert SHC shows its strengths particularly in the development and implementation of technologies such as Bluetooth and CAT-iq.
Background of the commissioned online study
*In January 2008, PbS surveyed 200 participants in each of seven countries on behalf of Siemens Home and Office Communication Devices (SHC). Those surveyed are a representative cross-section of the overall population in the countries in question in terms of gender, income and age. However, only the proportion of the population that is online was taken into account.
Online survey of 1,400 people in the following countries:
• Germany (n = 200) (72% online)
• Dubai (n = 200) (50% online)
• France (n = 200) (47% online)
• Italy (n = 200) (38% online)
• Netherlands (n = 200) (83% online)
• Sweden (n = 200) (88% online)
• United Kingdom (n = 200) (69% online)
The age group between 18 and 55; men and women were represented equally.
