First WAP Figures Reveal Heavy Mobile Internet Usage

Mobile internet services attracted 340 million page impression during September, according to the first ever collective WAP figures released by the UK’s four GSM operators.

The figures from the Mobile Data Association show that WAP-based services attracted more than 11 million page impressions per day during September, with mobile internet messaging and chat attracting the most traffic, along with games, news and information services.

The MDA plans to release page impression figures for mobile internet usage on a monthly basis and quarterly figures for the total number of WAP enabled handsets available on the four networks, which currently stands at around 25 million.

Commenting on the findings, Mike Short, chairman of the MDA, said: “Following the release of text messaging figures over the last four years, the MDA has seen significant growth in several areas of mobile data, and in particular the messaging market. The ever-increasing range of content and services available to a variety of consumers has been apparent through the figures announced today, demonstrating that growth is not restricted to text alone.”

This first clear indication of the health of WAP could have a significant effect on the market, encouraging media owners to create content for a platform that many think is unused.

The latest SMS figures from the MDA show that around 2 million person to person text messages were sent each hour during September bringing the monthly total to an all time high of £1.43bn (see 2 Million Text Messages Sent Each Hour During September).

Mobile Data Association: 01922 419600 www.mda-mobiledata.org

Recent New Media Stories from NewsLine Sky News Boosts Online Output Lycos Links With BT To Promote Broadband Freeserve Ups Stakes With Broadband Price Cut

Subscribers can access ten years of media news and analysis in the Archive