Internet users from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK are more likely to use their mobile phones to go online than internet users in the US, according to the inaugural findings from comScore Networks’ Mobile Tracking Study.
The study, which is designed to analyse how consumers across six countries go online on their mobile phones, reveals that 29% of European internet users within the aforementioned countries regularly go online via their mobile handsets, compared to just 19% in the US.
The highest mobile web penetration is seen in both Germany and Italy, with 34% each, followed by France with 28%, Spain with 26% and the UK with 24%. ComScore says that the US figure of 19% is the lowest of the set.
| Mobile Internet Penetration by Country |
| September 2006 US, UK, French, German, Italian and Spanish Online Populations |
| Source: comScore Networks Mobile Tracking Study |
| |
US |
France |
Germany |
Italy |
Spain |
UK |
| |
| Online Population Persons 15+ From Home and Work (000) |
152,698 |
23,980 |
32,085 |
17,389 |
12,281 |
29,589 |
| % Online Population Accessing Web From Mobile Phones |
19% |
28% |
34% |
34% |
26% |
24% |
Nokia was the leading brand for accessing online content across five of the six countries studied, with share ranging from a high of 50% in Italy to a low of 17% in the US.
Motorola had the highest share in the US, with 26%, whilst Nokia was in second place with a 17% share.
| Mobile Internet Share of Market as Measured by Penetration by Phone Brand |
| September 2006 US, UK, French, German, Italian and Spanish Online Populations |
| Source: comScore Networks Mobile Tracking Study |
| Phone Brand |
US |
France |
Germany |
Italy |
Spain |
UK |
| Nokia |
17% |
22% |
32% |
50% |
39% |
39% |
| Motorola |
26% |
13% |
22% |
18% |
14% |
14% |
| Samsung |
10% |
21% |
8% |
8% |
17% |
17% |
| Sony Ericsson |
6% |
14% |
12% |
5% |
11% |
13% |
| Other |
41% |
30% |
27% |
19% |
20% |
17% |
Bob Ivins, managing director of comScore Europe, said: “Three-quarters of American mobile web surfers access content from the leading online portals such as Google, Yahoo! and MSN compared to only 30% of Europeans.
“In Europe, the mobile internet appears to mirror the dynamics of the fixed internet. Google remains strong but the other US based portals achieve much lower penetration, facing stiff competition from local competitors, in this case the mobile providers who have the structural advantage of a degree of control over the access point and interface from the mobile phone.”
In September, figures released by the Mobile Data Association showed that a total of 13.2 million people used their mobile phones for downloads and browsing the internet in the UK during July 2006 (see Internet Usage And Downloads Via Mobile Phones Up).
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