Nomophobia on the rise in Canada: Majority of Canadian smartphone owners sleep next to their device and expect to be even more connected in 2013

Rogers Innovation Report reveals top technology trends and predictions
for 2013 and beyond

TORONTO, Dec. 27, 2012 /CNW/ – The love affair between Canadians and
their smartphones intensified in 2012. According to the latest Rogers
Innovation Report, commissioned by Vision Critical and released today
by Rogers Communications, Nomophobia – the state of stress caused by
being away from your smartphone – has gripped Canadian smartphone
users. Sixty five per cent say they feel naked without their smartphone
and Internet access. A little over half sleep with their device next to
them, and 82 per cent use their smartphone in the bathroom. Over half
say they check their mobile device before brushing their teeth in the
morning.

Looking ahead, these Canadians predict a surge in attachment to their
mobile devices and wireless connectivity. Eighty per cent believe
people will choose their wireless device to go online versus their
desktop computer.

“Consumers are absolutely passionate about their online connections.
And, that’s only expected to increase as technology advances,” said
Reade Barber, Vice President, Mobile and Fixed Internet at Rogers
Communications. “From mobile banking and work flexibility, to
downloading the latest e-book or watching the big game on the go,
Canadians are doing more online today and will be even more connected
in 2013 and beyond and as they sign up for the fastest Internet speeds
and the latest connected technologies.”

According to those surveyed, the top technology trends and predictions
include: 

Canadians watch more TV and movies anyplace: Over half (52 per cent) said they increased the amount of TV and movies
they watched over the Internet at home in 2012. Men were almost twice
as likely as women to watch TV and movies on their mobile devices while
on the go. Eighty-six per cent of young adults and 43 per cent of those
surveyed caught Gangnam Style on YouTube. Over the next five years, the
majority of those surveyed (65 per cent) expect to have seamless
connections that allow them to go from room to room without missing a
second of a TV show, movie or game.

Canadians to get more time back in their day: Most feel that wireless network speeds have improved in the last year
and by 2017, almost half expect to save at least two hours a day by
using faster home and mobile Internet.

BYOD – Bring Your Own Device – on the rise: Over half (55 per cent) said they were able to use the device of their
choice at work or for work-related purposes in 2012. Seventy-two per
cent believe that the majority of Canadians will be able to use their
preferred mobile device at the office within the next two years.

More Canadians to work from home thanks to cloud services and faster
mobile speeds: Fifty-nine per cent of respondents predict that over the next two years
Cloud services—combined with faster mobile networks— will mean more
Canadians will work from home.

Canadians making more mobile payments: More than one in ten used an app to pay for a purchase in 2012. The
majority of those surveyed (67 per cent) think that within two years
most Canadians will use mobile devices to pay for purchases and save
money.

More digital and less paper – increased use of e-books and online
magazines: In 2012, 10 per cent of those surveyed downloaded a racy novel to a
mobile device – and must have liked it – since the majority (78 per
cent) think e-book sales will explode. Expect more room in the
recycling bin as 77 per cent predict more Canadians will do their
magazine reading on their tablets in 2013.

Buffering to be as old school as dial up Internet:  In 2012, ten per cent of respondents said they updated to faster
mobile Internet speeds, signing up for the next gen network LTE, and 22
per cent said they upgraded to an LTE device. That is expected to jump,
with 80 per cent predicting that more Canadians will sign up for the
fastest internet speeds available in 2013. The result? The strong
majority (71 per cent) predict that buffering on a wireless device will
be as old school as dial up Internet. And in the next five years, more
than three quarters (76 per cent) believe the overwhelming majority of
Canadians will download files in seconds using the fastest mobile
Internet technology in the world.

All about integration – technology ecosystems like Windows 8 gaining
ground: The majority of those surveyed (82 per cent) believe that in 2013,
integrated technology systems that seamlessly connect two or more
devices, will increase in popularity. These include mobile Internet
ecosystems like Mac computers integrated with iPhone or Windows 8
software from your desktop at work or home and/or tablets integrated
with Windows 8 smartphones.

To view our Rogers Innovation Report Infographic, http://redboard.rogers.com/rirexplores/

For full report results, http://slideshare.net/Rogers/rogers-innovation-2012-year-end-trends-official-15729268

About the survey
From November 15th to November 19th, 2012, an online survey was
conducted among a sample of 1,040 Canadians that own and use a
smartphone or tablet, who are Angus Reid Forum panel members. The
results have been statistically weighted according to the most current
age, gender and region Census data to ensure a representative sample.
The margin of error on the full base — which measures sampling
variability — of 1,040 respondents is +/- 3.1%. Discrepancies in or
between totals are due to rounding.

About Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications is a diversified Canadian communications and media
company. We are Canada’s largest provider of wireless voice and data
communications services and one of Canada’s leading providers of cable
television, high speed Internet and telephony services. Through Rogers
Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised
shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports entertainment, and
digital media. We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange
(TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI).
For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please
visit rogers.com.

Image with caption: “The Rogers Innovation Report reveals that the love affair between Canadians and their smartphones intensified in 2012 with 55 per cent of Canadians checking their mobile device before brushing their teeth in the morning. (CNW Group/Rogers Communications Inc.)”. Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121227_C3440_PHOTO_EN_22216.jpg

SOURCE: Rogers Communications Inc.