Most Wireless Subscribers Don't Send Pictures, Video: Survey

Wireless carriers have apparently failed in convincing the majority of subscribers to spend more money to send pictures and video to family and friends, a survey released Friday showed.

Only 18 percent of mobile subscribers have sent pictures and 3 percent video clips, Harris Interactive found. Fully 39 percent said they have sent text messaging, but almost 60 percent of mobile users say they have not used any of the services.

Surprisingly, cost was not the biggest obstacle, given that only 19 percent of survey respondents cited money as a reason, Harris said. Instead, almost three-quarters of the mobile users said they didn't see a need to send pictures or video.

Joe Porus, vice president for the technology practice at Harris, compared video and picture services to the pet-rock craze of years ago. "At first it might seem like a good idea, but then the 'why?' enters your mind," he said.

As expected, younger subscribers, aged 18 to 39, are more likely to send pictures, but sending video was in the low single digits across age groups, Harris said.

The Harris study was based on a May online survey of more than 1,300 U.S. adults, of whom 960 were current mobile users.