More than half (52%) of mobile phone users are now using the mobile internet with email and social networking the most popular activities, according to new research from UK user experience consultancy Webcredible.
The research polled 1,132 visitors to the Webcredible website between February and April 2009 on what they used their mobile phone for most, with the exception of calls and text messages.
Of the respondents who used the mobile Internet, over half (55%) mostly used it for emailing and social networking.
Checking email and social networking were the most popular pastimes, with 39% of mobile internet users mostly using email and over 16% favouring social networking. Just under 16% of mobile internet users said they mostly downloaded ringtones.
A similar survey carried out by Webcredible between August and October 2007, found that downloading ringtones was the most popular pastime among mobile internet users with 43% favouring this. Only 21% of these users mainly checked email, and social networking didn’t even register, said Webcredible.
In addition, the 2009 research also revealed that 13% of mobile internet users mainly used it for reading news or sport content, 12% used it for maps and directions and 4% mainly used it for local or travel news. Forty-eight percent of total respondents said that they performed none of these tasks on their mobile phones.
Abid Warsi, senior consultant at Webcredible, said: “Although there are still a substantial number of people who use their mobile phones for nothing other than calls and texts, these results clearly demonstrate the evolution of mobile Internet usage in-line with its increase in the ease with which mobile phone users can access the internet, the increase in speed and technological capabilities, as well as the decrease in cost.”
In April, Juniper Research forecast that direct and indirect revenues from mobile applications will $25 billion globally by 2014 (see Revenues from mobile applications expected to top $25bn by 2014).
The report found that while the overwhelming majority of app revenues are currently accrued from one-off downloads, the increasing utilisation of in-app billing will see value-added services providing the dominant revenue stream by 2011.
Earlier this week, meanwhile, a study by the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers found that mobile adspend was up 99.2% year on year in 2008, hitting £28.6 million (see IAB: UK mobile adspend hits £28.6m in 2008).
