Just An Online Minute... Wireless Internet Boom

APPARENTLY more of us are using our wireless handsets and devices to surf the Web.

According to a study by Ipsos Insight, the number of people accessing the Internet via wireless phone now outnumbers those connecting to the Web via notebook PCs in some parts of the world.

Ipsos reports that 18- to 34-year-olds make up the largest group of mobile-phone owners browsing the Web. "Advanced wireless networks and new handsets now offer a good browsing experience, so the phone has become a good way for people to extend the way they conduct their daily activities," says Adam Wright, senior research manager for Ipsos Insight, in a news report.

Globally, Ipsos reports that 28 percent of those who own a mobile phone have browsed the Internet on a wireless handset, up slightly from 25 percent at the end of 2004.

In Japan, four in 10 adults browse the Internet on their wireless handsets. In North America, wireless Internet access via notebook PCs is emerging as the strongest mobile Internet platform. "In the U.S. and Canada, the widespread availability of Wi-Fi and other wireless broadband networks means that more people are using portable PCs to access the Internet outside of the office or home," Wright said.

Web browsing, mobile commerce, and sending or receiving digital images are all becoming more popular, but text messaging via wireless handset/device remains the most popular activity among consumers. More than one-third of wireless users have sent or received e-mail on their handsets, according to Ipsos.

Among other Ipsos' other findings:

• More than 50 percent of households with a mobile phone have sent or received a text message, while 37 percent have sent or received e-mail on their wireless handsets.
• More than 90 percent of all households in South Korea, Japan, and urban China own at least one mobile phone.
• In Western Europe, 80 percent of all households own a mobile phone, while in Canada, 60 percent of households do.
• In the U.S., about three in four households own a mobile phone.

MediaPost. 21st April 2006