Mobile web use increasing

Erik Kruse, senior consumer behavior expert for Ericsson ConsumerLab, says that while there is more content available for fixed internet users, industry observers can expect the number of people getting on the web with their mobile phones to increase. 

"Growth in mobile internet usage is being fuelled primarily by the improvement in handset screen size and download speeds and also - particularly in Asia - by the growing number of people using their mobiles to, for example, make purchases," Kruse says.

Traditional downloading of ringtones, wallpaper and instant news has driven mobile usage, while features such as YouTube and video have fuelled fixed internet usage.

Users have traditionally preferred to do heavy duty work on a fixed PC connection, primarily because of screen and keyboard size.  If, or when, mobile phones match the capabilities of computers, it may still be tough for this generation of users to change habits and switch to a mobile-based platform for all their work.

But observers such as Kruse contend that such an argument may be irrelevant. New applications and business models, such as the use of mobiles as a method of payment, are being envisaged and created every day.

"Certainly there is more content available on fixed internet, but sooner or later we can expect that to change and much of that has to do with the growth of things such as mobile internet advertising and other new business models," Kruse says.

The mobile web is at an early state of development, Kruse says, but mobile web usage is expected to grow as phone performance improves, sites optimize their content for the small screen and operators fine-tune their tariffs, enabling mobile phone users to take advantage of mobile phone capabilities and convenience.

In the US, the Weather Channel has a greater reach via the mobile web than it does via PC-based internet, highlighting the success of sites that provide content for people on the move by optimizing their content for the small screen.

"The advantage that weather, sports and news sites have over other mobile websites is that they provide up-to-date information that consumers need quickly, anytime and anywhere," Kruse says.