The number of mobile phone users accessing the internet on their handsets continued to grow during the last quarter of 2006, according to figures announced today by the Mobile Data Association (MDA).
An overall total of 45.6 million unique users were recorded as having used their phones for downloads and browsing the mobile internet in the UK throughout October, November and December last year, an average of 15 million each month. These figures show a quarterly increase in the average unique users per month from 13 to 15 million.
December 2006 boasts the highest user total to date, 15.9 million, due in part to new and improved phones being given as Christmas presents to increasingly adventurous mobile users keen to get the most from their handsets.
The mobile internet can be used for recording TV shows (via sky+) and viewing TV guides which may have come in handy for people out and about over the Christmas period, as would the ability to search for restaurants, taxi firms and hotels whilst on the move.
Progressively, says the MDA, companies are springing up to provide more services of this type, their primary remit to enhance the user experience and offer content specifically designed to fit phone screens.
This, along with the snowball effect achieved when users learn more about the capabilities of their phones and discover they can read news and sports stories on their phones whilst travelling, for example, are factors which should see these figures growing month on month throughout 2007.
Other recent research from the MDA revealed that there were over 4 billion text messages sent in the UK during December 2006 (see Record 4 Billion Texts Sent In December).
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