In a recently published report, 'Mobile Internet Usage Continues to Rise: Android Users Catching up with Apple' Strategy Analytics Wireless Media Lab has found that the proportion of mobile device owners who use their phone to access the internet regularly has quadrupled in the US, and tripled in Western Europe over the past four years. This trend is being driven by younger respondents in the US and Western Europe. The dramatic drop in usage as age increases is particularly evident in the data from US. Regular usage by respondents aged 45 and older drops to 16%, from 47% among younger respondents. Owners of smartphones, who typically browse the internet on their phones on a daily basis, are driving the increase in mobile internet usage, particularly owners of Apple mobile devices in both the US and Western Europe.

In volume terms, more consumers access the web on their mobile phone primarily via the cellular connection (not Wifi) in both the US and Western Europe. This is because owners of non-smartphones are now accessing the web in large numbers via cellular connection only.

The majority of respondents in both Western Europe and the US still spend more time web browsing on their computer than on their mobile phone. Average length of a web browsing session on mobile devices has remained constant since 2008 with the majority of respondents spending 0-10 minutes per session browsing the web. This suggests that mobile web browsing remains predominantly a `snacking' or `time critical' behavior, whereas the PC/laptop is used for more leisurely or intensive usage scenarios.

To view the full report (subscription required), click here.

- Paul Brown