Ericsson: Mobile coverage among top factors that contribute to quality of city life

The research conducted by Ericsson's ConsumerLab research team, surveyed participants from 12 cities around the world, including Cairo, and found that an average of 50% of city dwellers use their mobile phones every day to connect to the internet, and around 40% own a smartphone.

"These findings will probably not come as a surprise to some residents of Cairo, who have become accustomed to relying on mobile-based service to communicate, find information and solve day-to-day challenges, while on the go," said Anders Lindblad, president, Ericsson Region Middle East & Africa.

He added: "What is significant, however, is the level of emphasis being placed on reliable mobile connectivity when, just one generation ago, access to electricity and water would have dominated basic human needs. What is clearly reflected in these findings is the fact that we are fast evolving into what, we at Ericsson call, a 'Networked Society' where everything that can be connected will be connected."

Significantly, the study also found that people living in cities are also more socially active, with wider social circles, than people not living in cities. Cairo's residents were found to be the third most socially active of those polled, spending just over 200 minutes a day socializing with friends and family both offline and online. The city's residents also had the third highest number of friends on social networks, with an average of 285, compared to 247, the average of all the cities included in the research. Those interviewed in Cairo also spent the largest amount of time socializing online, with the average time totaling approximately one hour and ten minutes per day.

Other highlights listed for living in a city are the accessibility to restaurants, cafés, entertainment facilities, and markets. On the other hand, poor air quality and lack of parking can impact dissatisfaction. Significantly, 48% of those polled from Cairo said that they were satisfied with their lives in the city.

"Urbanization is a global mega-trend. City populations grow by 7500 people per hour, and people are clearly feeling some stress from overcrowding. But we also see how people in cities use ICT as a means to alleviate such feelings and to better experience city life," said Michael Björn, Head of Research at Ericsson ConsumerLab.