"Operators need to target current Internet users and more educated within the BOP segment," the study said.
"The key benefit of more-than-voice services is that they allow for a greater number of consumers to be reached with lower transaction costs, allowing for more affordable service for the consumer.
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The study in 2011 by the LIRNEasia think tank said found that the use of mobile phones for services other than the basic voice function was still sparse among the poorest users compared with a previous survey in 2008.
In Sri Lanka only six percent of users in the so-called bottom-of-the-pyramid (BOP) or poorest segment knew of banking services through mobile phones compared with 18 percent in India and 15 percent in Thailand.
But Sri Lankan users were the most aware in the case of health services, scoring the highest among all countries in the study at 22 percent compared with 16 percent in India and 17 percent in Thailand.
Use of mobile phones to fix appointments with doctors in