74 per cent of wi-fi-enabled smartphone owners would be interested in an application that uses wi-fi to improve indoor coverage at home or in the office, according to a YouGov online omnibus survey conducted in the UK. The survey also found that 80 per cent of these users would be interested in a service from their mobile operator that would give discounted calling when the phone was connected to wi-fi. YouGov surveyed 2,176 adults between 11 and 14 June 2010, of whom 451 were smartphone owners.

Other findings from the survey include:

• 50 per cent of people in the United Kingdom who own smartphones with wi-fi capabilities use the wi-fi every day 
• 40 per cent of smartphone owners who use wi-fi say they do so because it is faster for accessing the internet; 50 per cent say they use it because it’s easier
• 22 per cent say the most annoying aspect of wi-fi is that it only works in some locations, reflecting a desire to use wi-fi more broadly.
• The most widely owned smartphone brand in the UK is the iPhone (33 per cent) followed by Nokia (20 per cent)

The survey was commissioned by Kineto Wireless, which supplier solutions that enable delivery of mobile services over broadband. Mark Powell, vice president and general manager of Kineto’s client business unit says: “Consumers in the UK are clearly interested in taking more advantage of the wi-fi on their smartphones in order to improve mobile service and save them money. Mobile operators have distinct market opportunities to reduce churn, improve service quality and keep customers satisfied by enhancing their use of wi-fi.”

Kineto says the findings are in line with a January 2009 survey of more than 2,700 wi-fi users in the UK and Europe conducted by Decipher, on behalf of Devicescape. According to that survey, 81 per cent of smartphone users prefer using wi-fi over 3G for browsing websites, downloading data, conducting searches and sending e-mail; and 82 per cent of respondents want their service provider to provide an overall 3G/wi-fi data package.