55 per cent of subscribers think content is too expensive

And 65 per cent of operators agree, says 3ple-Media study.

The annual research claims operators are dealing with this by educating the subscriber base as to real, rather than perceived costs. They are also implementing business models that can grow their ARPU margins in the wake of flat rate data charging.

Other key findings include:

* 78 per cent of subscribers say they see their mobile operator as like an ISP Provider, up 12 per cent on last year’s findings.
* 45 per cent of survey participants say they already receive free, relevant mobile multimedia on their phones.
* 43 per cent of subscribers say they would be ‘most likely’ to forward mobile advertising if the incentive was free talk-time minutes.
* 41 per cent of subscribers said they were ‘quite likely’ to forward mobile ads in exchange for free downloadable music tracks – up from the 30 per cent who said the same last year.
* 72 per cent of subscribers agree that multimedia services related to local information will be the most popular type of content in three year’s time.