Only one in five of India�s urban, mobile subscribers will adopt 3G services in the short term, a new study by The Nielsen Company has found.

Despite high awareness of 3G and its capabilities to deliver broadband content, it may be as long as 8-10 years before the majority of mobile users are on a 3G plan.

Released at Nielsen�s flagship Consumer 360 conference in Delhi, the study found that nearly 70 percent of urban mobile subscribers are aware of 3G services and 63 percent had familiarity with it as a concept.

�While service providers have succeeded in popularizing the concept of 3G and articulating its promises clearly, consumers seem tentative about their disposition to embrace the technology� said Arjun Urs, Director � Client Solutions India, The Nielsen Company.

The most eager group ready to adopt 3G was power users largely made up of working professionals and internet-savvy youth. They told Nielsen they were eager to embrace higher speeds to access the internet and download large attachments.

A third (36%) of these consumers indicated a strong disposition towards 3G adoption. Other, less tech reliant groups, were less enthusiastic about the next wave of mobile services.

Even with an enhanced user experience on a 3G network, driving migration to 3G devices is expected to be a challenge.

The study found that bundling 3G services with new handsets would be the most effective course of action for telecom carriers.