The number of people in South Africa banking from their cellphones has exceeded those people banking from their PCs, market research organisation World Wide Worx said on Tuesday.

The consumer phase of its Mobility 2009 research project found that more than a quarter of bank customers have turned to their cellphones for services ranging from informational transaction types such as balance enquiries to financial transaction types which include account payments.

First National Bank (FNB), and Research In Motion (RIM), the company behind the BlackBerry solution, backed the study.

"It is encouraging to see that not only in FNB, but across the country, cellphone banking is now part of people's lives," said FNB mCommerce CEO Len Pienaar.

The Mobility 2009 study is being conducted in four phases, with the first three looking at the use of mobile technologies by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Consumers and Corporations, and the final phase exploring the Mobile Internet.

In the second phase, announced on Tuesday, it was revealed that, while 16 percent of banking customers in South Africa use the internet for banking, 28 percent use their cellphones. A total of 34 percent of banking customers use one or both of these channels. Outside of the branch and ATMs, only 6 percent relied exclusively on the internet, while 18 percent depended on mobile phone banking.

"The fact that services like cellphone banking are taking off so strongly shows that consumers no longer see their cellphones only as voice and text messaging devices, but use them stay in touch with everything that matters in their business and personal lives," said Deon Liebenberg, regional director for sub-Saharan Africa at RIM.

The study revealed that the main services driving cellphone banking were balance enquiries and notifications of transactions, with three- quarters of mobile phone bankers using these features. Just under half view statements on their cellphone, 35 percent transfer between accounts, and 28 percent pay accounts on their cellphone. In contrast, only 8 percent add beneficiaries via a cellphone, indicating both security concerns and set-up issues.

"Our research shows that South Africans are becoming comfortable with cellphone banking, but precisely half of general banking customers are still nervous of it, citing trust as their major concern," said World Wide Worx managing director Arthur Goldstuck. "However, this concern must be seen in the light of 34 percent also saying the issue is not knowing how to use the service."

"Although we have made great inroads, two-thirds of banked people still don't use electronic channels, other than an ATM," said Pienaar.

Two-thirds of cellphone-banking respondents said they were satisfied with the security of the channel.

The study also revealed that mobile purchasing was begging to take root, with 24 percent of cellphone banking customers purchasing prepaid electricity and 21 percent making general purchases including movie tickets and flowers. Purchase of airtime however, still led the way, accounting for 61 percent of cellphone banking users.

Mobility 2009 included research among 1000 consumers in metropolitan areas, 1000 SMEs and 240 large enterprises in South Africa.

I-Net Bridge

How to make more cash It's not easy to make extra money, but it can be done if you're creative. Here's how...

Can you go cashless? Follow this man as he uses plastic for every transaction he makes in the next three months...

Seven myths of investing Learn the truth behind these seven widely held, yet patently wrong investment myths...