Nearly half of all internet users in the UK have now accessed the internet using their mobile phones, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Only two years ago just 8.5 million users had surfed on their phone. Now, that number has climbed to a remarkable 17.6 million, a massive 45% of internet users, 6 million of whom accessed for the first time in the last twelve months.
The availability of affordable web-enabled smartphones and an explosion in the use of social media has attributed to a sharp rise in users accessing the mobile internet. As you would expect, the trail-blazers of web-on-the-move can be found at the younger end of the mobile market.
A massive 70% of internet-savvy 16 to 24-year-olds have now used their phones to access the web. Their most popular online activity, of course, is social networking.
Taking to the mobile web hasn’t been so popular for older age groups, however. Despite a concerted government push to increase the popularity of the internet amongst adults, only 7.5% of users over 65 have done so using their phone.
Interestingly, the last two years have also seen a dramatic uptake in mobile web usage among women. From 18% in 2009 that figure has more than doubled to 39% in 2011.
Mobile internet coverage has come under fire in recent weeks following a nationwide survey conducted by the BBC. After a month of data searching, it became apparent that coverage was not as complete as it was claimed by mobile operators, particularly in rural areas.
The report concluded that only three quarters of the UK were fully covered. That, however, clearly hasn’t hindered a majority of mobile internet users whose numbers continue to grow.
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