Free apps outpace chargeable features

Smartphone users prefer free applications (apps), according to a telecommunications businessman.T-Mobile Austria head Robert Chvatal said today (Weds) customers of his company using so-called smartphones downloaded an average 20 apps of which 14 were available free of charge.”Games are the most popular downloads,” Chvatal announced, adding that T-Mobile Austria so far sold 200,000 Apple iPhone contracts.Chvatal said he was convinced T-Mobile Austria was ahead of rival 3 in their battle for smartphone users.”We invested around 100 million Euros in the quality of our coverage network,” he pointed out.The Vienna-based firm, the second-biggest mobile services provider in Austria after Mobilkom Austria, saw turnover plunge by 5.9 per cent year on year between January and June 2010 to 491 Mio. Euro. Its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) however improved by 17 per cent to 144 million Euros.T-Mobile Austria currently has around 3.7 million customers.