Brits relying on mobile internet

 

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Posted on 28 Nov 2008 at 13:05

Consumers are finally beginning to trust the mobile internet, with 7.3 million Brits now surfing the net from their mobile phones. The figure represents a 25 per cent rise, over the past three months - and young people are primarily responsible for the increase.

According to research firm Nielsen Online, 25 per cent of mobile internet consumers are aged 15 to 24 years old, compared to 16 per cent for PC-based internet users. And while 23 per of the PC internet users are over 55, only 12 per cent of mobile internet users are.

"The reason is that younger people tend to have a much more personal interactive relationship with their phone," explained Alex Burmaster, communications director at Nielsen Online.

"When you look in the way that younger people use a phone, it's much more a part of who they are and what they do as opposed to the older demographic. The mobile phone is an intrinsic part of the way that they communicate. They tend to download more features, listen to music through their phone and play games on their phone."

It's not only the users that represent the difference between PC and mobile internet, but the uses too. Mobile internet is used for quick fixes of news and information, claim the researchers, whereas PC internet is used primarily for leisure.

"At the moment, mobile internet is more about functionality. When you look at the types of websites people visit, it's more about news, sport, weather - the PC internet is much more about entertainment and retail," said Burmaster.

"That's why we're seeing sites like BBC News, BBC Weather, Sky Sports and Googlemail actually being relatively more popular on the mobile internet than the PC-based internet."

Whereas news and instant information sites enjoy comparatively more popularity on the mobile net, other sites that are popular on the PC internet aren't visited quite so often by users, when they're on their mobile.

For example, 79 per cent of PC users visit Google, but just 23 per cent of mobile users do. This is partly due to the sheer popularity of Google on the PC-based internet, and also because of the perception that mobile internet is a 'pay-as-you-go' service, unless you have an unlimited browsing package.

"When you're searching on the PC, you've got more time," he said. "Mobile internet is about immediate access to information, so you're less likely to be searching for things and you'd probably have your bookmarks."

As websites begin to promote the mobile side of their business, and more users take to the mobile internet, browsing habits will continue to evolve, added Nielsen Online.

Author: Dawinderpal Sahota