Mobile services continue to soar
A new report shows that both penetration and usage of mobile services is on the rise.
Strategy Analytics found that social networking is the fatest growing mobile service, up by an incredible 195% in Western Europe compared with 2008.
Personal email and mobile internet services, meanwhile, are used by most respondents on a regular basis, according to the research.
However, service usage does not always increase at the same rate as penetration.
In the US, penetration of mobile TV has more than tripled since 2008, but the number of regular users has remained at the same level.
Strategy Analytics’ latest mobile research is supported by a number of other recent reports, including a new survey from Synovate, which shows that 36% of people across the world said they ‘cannot live without’ their mobile.
In addition, Synovate’s survey found that the US and the UK lead the way in mobile functions that require 3G access:
- Overall, 17% of respondents use email on their mobile on a regular basis, led by 26% in the US and 25% in the UK.
- Similarly, an overall 17% use internet browsing, topped by the UK at 31% and the US at 26%.
- Eleven percent say they social network regularly via mobile, again led by the UK (17%) and the US (15%).
Research firm Gartner also reported that worldwide mobile phone sales hit 308.9 million units in the third quarter of 2009, while smartphone sales surpassed 41 million units, a 12.8% increase from the same period last year.