„Long-term data shows a fairly clear trend. Before the pandemic, traditional calls in the „Bitė“ network consistently decreased – from 2015 to 2019, they dropped by about 14%. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, this trend briefly reversed and people made more phone calls. After the restrictions ended, the number of calls started to decrease again, and in the past 1.5 years, it fell by another 4%. Call volumes have now returned to the pre-pandemic level,“ says Modestas Ropė, Director of Next Generation Networks at „Bitė Lietuva“.
Read more Four people died in a Russian drone strike on a bus in the Kherson region of Ukraine
However, it does not necessarily mean that people communicate less. Traditional calls now compete with other communication methods – messages, voice and video calls in apps. More communication happens using mobile data.
Only one in six wants to call
„A survey conducted in the United Kingdom aimed to check common myths about Generation Z’s phone usage habits. It showed that one difference between generations is very clear – younger people much less often choose a traditional call,“ says M. Ropė.
When asked how it would be most convenient for them to contact a close friend or family member, only 17% of 18–28-year-old Generation Z representatives chose a phone call, reports the research company „YouGov“. Among 61–79-year-old baby boomers (born 1946–1964), as many as 62% answered this way. The opposite situation is seen in written communication – 65% of Generation Z would choose a message, email, or chat app, while only 26% of the oldest surveyed generation would do so.
„A call requires an immediate response, while a written message can be read and replied to when convenient. Younger people grew up in an environment where it is possible to maintain several conversations simultaneously in different apps, send photos, videos, or voice messages,“ notes M. Ropė.
The trend is even more pronounced when communicating with less familiar people. As many as 90% of Generation Z representatives would first choose to communicate in writing with an acquaintance who is not a close friend or family member, and only 8% would call.
Read more The concert was interrupted by chaos: stones were thrown at the Russian band on the Spanish stage
Calling a stranger – „oh no, thanks“
The greatest discomfort for Generation Z arises when they have to call a stranger – as many as 65% of respondents feel uneasy in such a situation. Only a third feel comfortable calling strangers, while among baby boomers, twice as many – 67% – feel comfortable.
However, when calling family or friends, even Generation Z representatives feel good – 82% of respondents indicated this.
„The survey rather shows not a fear of calls, but a changed attitude. People choose more when a call is the most convenient communication method for them. Most calls in our network are made during working hours, and they significantly decrease on weekends. Meanwhile, the average call duration does not change significantly,“ lists one of the leaders of the digital services company „Bitė Lietuva“.
The call itself is changing
Not only people’s habits are changing, but also the technologies used for calling. For example, 1.5 years ago, only about 57% of all calls in the „Bitė“ network were transmitted using the voice calls over mobile internet technology „VoLTE“, today their share is about 77%.
„To a person, such a call seems like a regular call, but „VoLTE“ allows voice to be transmitted over the internet. This way, the call connects faster, ensures exceptionally good voice quality, and internet can be used during the conversation. At the same time, the importance of the internet itself is growing. In the first seven months of this year, 26% more data was transmitted in the „Bitė“ network than in the same period last year,“ explains M. Ropė.
