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Understanding the behavior of mobile data services consumers

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Abstract

Due to rapid advances in the Internet and wireless technologies, a ubiquitous computing world is becoming a reality in the form of mobile computing. At the center of this phenomenon is mobile data services which arise from the convergence of advanced mobile communication technologies with data services. Despite the rapid growth in mobile data services, research into consumers’ usage behavior is scarce. This study attempts to identify and empirically assess the factors that drive consumers’ acceptance of mobile data services. A research model based on the decomposed theory of planned behavior and incorporating factors that represent personal needs and motivations in using mobile data services is presented. The model is tested via an online survey of 811 consumers of four categories of mobile data services (i.e., communications, information content, entertainment, and commercial transactions) associated with different usage contexts. We found that attitude, social influence, media influence, perceived mobility, and perceived monetary value influence consumers’ intention to continue usage of mobile data services. In addition, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived enjoyment influence attitude toward continued usage of mobile data services. Finally, separate analysis of the different categories of mobile data services highlights the influence of individual usage context on consumers’ behavior.

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Acknowledgements

This project was funded by grants from Korea University and the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (HKUST6438/05H).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Business School, Korea University, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea

    Se-Joon Hong

  2. Department of Information and Systems Management, School of Business and Management, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    James Y. L. Thong, Jae-Yun Moon & Kar-Yan Tam

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  1. Se-Joon Hong
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  2. James Y. L. Thong
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  3. Jae-Yun Moon
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  4. Kar-Yan Tam
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Correspondence to Se-Joon Hong.

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Table 5 Questionnaire items
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Hong, SJ., Thong, J.Y.L., Moon, JY. et al. Understanding the behavior of mobile data services consumers. Inf Syst Front 10, 431–445 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-008-9096-1

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