Nearly one-fifth of urban household respondents in top-tier Chinese cities are equipped with a home network, according to a recent consumer survey by In-Stat An increasing number of players in relevant industries have begun to enter this market through various methods, the high-tech market research firm says.
"The China home networking market has passed the difficult initial stages and has begun to take off," says Rebecca Tan, In-Stat analyst. "Although the situation is still a bit less optimistic in the second-tier cities, around one-fourth of total respondents to our survey may install a home network within one year."
Among the findings
- Those most interested in home networks are young, with a relatively high monthly income. - To more quickly realize market potential, there should be an independent services provider to provide home networking integration services, which is now missing in the digital home ecosystem in China. - Consumers who access the Internet have indicated an increasing need for entertainment, which became the top purpose of having a home network in a survey taken in June 2005.