Initiative: Mobile Poised To Overtake PCs For Web Access

The mobile devices are poised to overtake computers as the most common devices for accessing the Internet, according to new research from Interpublic's Initiative unit. Using its online consumer panel, Initiative contacted 8,000 active smartphone users across Italy, Sweden, UK, USA, Australia, China, India and South Korea, and found that, given the choice between only having mobile Internet and only having computer-based Internet, one-third of consumers currently opt for mobile Internet, rising to nearly half among "Innovators," the most technically advanced users, the agency said.

"This is an astonishingly high number of people opting for mobile internet, considering this form of web access is relatively new," stated Sue Moseley, Worldwide Director, Research & Futures, Initiative. "This really demonstrates how mobile is becoming the technology of choice. And the trend for mobile internet is even more apparent in the emerging markets of India and China."

In India, Initiative found that 49% of consumers and a massive 69% of Innovators would choose mobile internet over computer-based internet. This is driven in part by the limited access to internet in that market.

Across all markets, Initiative said that 65% of smartphone users use their mobile handset to connect to the Internet every day. U.S. consumers are the heaviest users, with 78% accessing daily, and 62% several times a day, for an average of 50 minutes per day.

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