Mobility is “one of the great change drivers” of contemporary society, says Sara Diamond, president of OCAD University.
Diamond was co-principal investigator for Taking Ontario Mobile: An Action Plan for Leadership in the Mobile Revolution, a sprawling study involving OCAD, the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre, and dozens of academics and consultants.
The study focused on five key sectors where mobility will have an impact: learning, health, government, entertainment and commerce.
Diamond presented the report at Lac Carling 3.0, a public sector technology leadership event, recently held in Toronto as part of the i-Canada Alliance’s summit The Seven Habits of Highly Intelligent Communities.
While Ontario is “a centre of activity” in mobile, with 700 mobile companies and a strong academic research infrastructure, only 84 per cent of Canadians have mobile phones. “That’s not great,” she said, with developing countries like Brazil boasting penetration rates of well over 100 per cent.
Cost is a key reason. Eighty-three per cent of those surveyed for the study said they felt overcharged for their service delivery option.
“Tariffs are just too high. There’s too much concentration,” Diamond said.
