Mobiles: commodity, utility, or luxury, in the wake of the credit crunch?

With the tumultuous financial markets that seem to have taken over the news recently, come a whole cavalcade of implications – some large, some small. For a lot of people, it brings a time to re-look at their expenditure, because as the prospect of getting a wage rise decreases, the need to look at costs becomes potentially more important.

The cost of running a Mobile device could variably be described as one of the larger monthly expenditures, depending on what type of user you are. If you are a contract user, with an high-allowance tariff and an expensive handset, chances are you are paying a decent amount of money each month. Perhaps if you are a PAYG, with a budget handset, your monthly expenditure is somewhat lower.

Either way, my question is this – will Mobiles be considered more and more as a commodity (and associated utility) rather than a luxury, going forward? Have the heady days of replacing one’s mobile device frequently, and being locked in to long, expensive contracts passed (or soon to pass, once renewal dates come up?).

I wonder if perhaps both scenarios could become true in fact – whether that middle-ground of a reasonably-priced Mobile/contract could be eroded, so that we are left with something more polarised, like low-tier/PAYG, and then (super-)high-tier/unlimited contract?

With the advent of super-expensive Mobiles (Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 8800 Carbon Arte, Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Aura, to name but a few) continuing, will these devices become even more niche, whilst the previously ubiquitous low-tier actually rise up in to the mainstream?

With the doom and gloom predictions in the press that many more people will be feeling a harsh pinch as the credit crunch takes hold, I’d suggest that there are a lot of people that will be looking at their Mobile usage, and starting to consider it as a utility that they need to “cost-down” as soon as possible….

[Image via: payphones.bt.com]