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Power matters
The UK General Election sparked a frenzied dash for information as voters tried to keep up to date with hot election issues. As with all major news stories, people want to be able to follow events as they unfold and the mobile phone is proving to be the ideal tool for this.
May 09, 2005
In terms of accessibility, mobile phones can reach an audience that other more traditional news channels cannot. For many people the mobile phone is never far from their side and using it to follow daily events can offer a greater sense of immediacy than, for example, reading a newspaper.
The latest figures from the Mobile Data Association show there are now more mobile phones in use in the UK than there are people. With saturation like this it is understandable why news agencies are trying to tap into the mobile market.
News broadcaster ITN provided an election news service to Vodafone's subscribers in the UK. The service included regular text updates and a daily MMS, consisting of a video and text summary of the key political events of the day, plus a round-up of opinion polls.
The BBC also offered a host of mobile services that allow users to follow breaking news whilst on the move. Those with a WAP-compatible mobile phone could follow events on the BBC's election 2005 section or sign-up for its e-mail alerts service.
The interest in mobile phone news is a natural extension of the recent boom in internet news. Through the internet, people have become accustomed to being able to get access to all kinds of news and information – with a mobile phone they can now get access to it whenever and wherever they want.
The main political parties have also been exploiting the advantages of the mobile phone by using the medium to keep party loyalists and floating voters informed of their latest policies, speeches and campaigns. Depending on party interest, potential voters could sign-up for SMS/MMS update services or visit internet pages specially designed for mobile phones.
In future elections, voters may also be able to simply cast their vote via SMS instead of heading to the polling booths. Trials have already taken place in the UK and a recent poll by market research company MORI shows that it could well lead to a higher turnout.
Voter apathy is generally seen as a problem in young adults, yet it is this same segment of the population that is most open to e-voting. MORI’s research showed that almost half the voters aged between 18 and 34 would be more likely to vote if they could do so by text message.
One of the clear winners in this election has been the mobile phone.
Read about Ericsson’s related offerings here:
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