SINGAPORE - Singapore consumers are at the forefront of adopting location-based services (LBS) through mobile devices, and this holds great potential for enterprises which can create new business opportunities based on LBS, according to market research company TNS.

James Fergusson of TNS last week shared the findings of Mobile Life 2012 study, which surveyed more than 48,000 people in 58 countries, to understand how people were using and interacting with mobile technology.

Singapore emerged tops in terms of using LBS, with 63 per cent of respondents already utilising it, way above the global average of 19 per cent. Hong Kong followed with 61.1 per cent, and South Korea with 54.3 per cent.

"Mobile Life has shown us that Singapore is one of the most advanced mobile markets in the world . . . with only Saudi Arabia having a higher rate of smartphone ownership," said Mr Fergusson, who is TNS' global head, digital and technology practice.

As such, "adopting this technology faster than the rest of the world has led to increased availability and, therefore, more use of features such as LBS", Mr Fergusson noted.

GPS navigation was the most popular motivation behind adopting LBS, with 46.4 per cent of global respondents using it.

However, increasingly, LBS serves a variety of functions, such as arranging public transport, as well as finding places of interest and locating friends in the vicinity.