18 March 2008

Mobile Internet Usage Set To Surge In Europe

Mobile internet usage in Europe will surge over the next five years, thanks to a proliferation of 3G enabled phones and increase consumer interest, according to a report.

Thirty eight percent of mobile phone users in Western Europe will use mobile Internet services by 2013 according to a new five year forecast by market research company Forrester Research, Inc.

The growth in adoption means that 125 million Europeans will access the Web regularly from their mobile phone – triple the number that do so today. One of the key drivers will be the proliferation of 3G-enabled devices, which will overtake the number of GSM-only and GPRS phones by 2010. By 2013, Forrester believes one in four consumers will own a 3.5G-enabled phone.

“The mobile internet is finally reaching the tipping point,” said Forrester Research Analyst Pete Nuthall. “But deploying high-speed mobile networks and rolling out advanced handsets are not enough to spark demand - our data shows that less than half of 3G phone owners use the 3G capability on their phone. To drive the mobile Internet, operators will need to push flat-rate data plans, increase the number of relevant services and applications, and introduce new devices that provide a better user experience.”