0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
For missed calls
80%
For text messaging (SMS)
66%
Receiving phone calls (via your network provider)
57%
Taking phone calls (via your network provider)
56%
To listen to music
52%
33%
To play games
For calling applications (e.g. calls using Viber,
24%
For using chat/instant messaging applications
20%
For sharing content (pictures/video/music, etc)
18%
To use Facebook application (not through
17%
To download/use any other mobile application
13%
To receive updates, such as breaking news
11%
To watch online video content (streaming)
10%
For using the Internet/web through a browser
9%
For email
6%
For mobile money (sending/receiving talk time)
6%
To access other social-networking or blog
5%
To use Wikipedia application (not through
3%
To access mobile money or banking services
2%
Figure 2: What mobile owners used their handsets for in 2015 (% of mobile owners)
Note: ‘app’ use excludes use of the browser-based version of the service
Source: LIRNEasia national baseline survey, 2015
Perceived benefits of phone use
The greatest perceived benefit of access to phones was seen in terms of improved social and family relations and
relationships. Mobile owners felt more strongly about the benefits than non-owners, especially those from
higher income households.
Perceptions of quality
While mobile subscribers were on the whole satisfied with the quality of mobile signal received (63% said they
received ‘satisfactory’ quality), 41% of urban and 56% of rural mobile subscribers stated that calls were not
successful upon the first attempt.
Information needs
Responses to the questions on information needs showed that the top rated information types were community
and national news, weather information and information on cost and where to obtain daily goods and services
Friends and family were by far the main information sources for 73% of respondents.
When asked what the three most important, day-to-day information needs are, community news (about what is
happening at ward/village level), national news (important things happening in Myanmar) local news (what’s