41% of Tokyo seniors use mobiles

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Mobile phone usage among senior citizens in Tokyo is on the rise, according to a new survey.

A study conducted by Japanese cellular operator NTT DoCoMo shows that 41 percent of seniors aged 60 and up in the Tokyo area own mobile handsets.

DoCoMo commissioned the study to look into how Japan's older generation is warming up to wireless communication and Internet services.

"We do this study several times a year, but this time we focused on senior citizens," DoCoMo spokesperson Yuki Isono told CNN.

"In the market, there are more and more senior citizens starting to use cellular phones, so we wanted to investigate how they are using it, what are their problems and what kind of usage they want."

According to the study, the average phone bill for senior mobile users is $41 a month, compared to a cross-generation average of $70.

About 17 percent of Tokyo-based seniors use mobile phones to send email.

Of those, 62 percent send mobile email messages to their children, with 38 percent sending messages to friends.

Respondents complained that the displays of their mobile Internet data handsets were too small, making reading difficult.

Complaints of "feature-itis" also surfaced in the study, as seniors said the handsets have too many functions.