A poll of 1,000 UK customers found that although 45 percent of mobile users have the ability to download apps, only 39 percent of that number regularly do so. The survey, commissioned by telecoms infrastructure company OpenCloud, found that 38 percent of smartphone owners download free apps, while 50 percent had downloaded no apps at all in the last month.

According to the research, the “average” smartphone user has downloaded “only 14” apps, while one-fifth have downloaded none-at-all. In addition, a concerning 43 percent of smartphone users are not planning to download any more apps.

When it comes to mobile usage, text messaging is still the most popular feature, with 83 percent regularly using this – compared with taking pictures (47 percent), mobile internet (29 percent), storing and playing music (28 percent) and emailing (22 percent). It was said that “customers care more for the functionality of their mobile phones and the pre-loaded key apps, such as location-based services (maps) and social networking, than downloadable apps themselves.”

The survey found that 21 percent of users identified social networking capabilities as one of their main reasons for getting a smartphone, with 25 percent identifying mapping and location-based services as important, putting these in 8th and 7th place in the priority list. It was highlighted that “these are the only apps that people want, download and regularly use.”

With a lack of revenue-generating potential from mobile apps, the research “strongly suggests” that operators should concentrate their app strategy on enhancing their traditional comms services, as “this is their core skills area and what the users value in their phone.”