Mobile internet usage up 25% in UK

Nielsen's first insights from the launch of Mobile Media View show that the mobile internet audience has a higher concentration of younger users that PC-based internet: 25 per cent of mobile internet consumers are aged 15 - 24 compared to 16 per cent for PC-based consumers.

And whilst 23 per cent of the PC-based internet population is over 55, only 12 per cent of the mobile internet audience is.

Kent Ferguson, Nielsen senior analyst, said: "When it comes to the internet, the huge growth is now happening through the mobile platform. The fact that almost seven and a half million Britons now access the web through their phone shows that mobile internet is fast becoming a viable way for advertisers and publishers to reach important demographic groups."

BBC News was found to be the most popular mobile internet site, being visited by 1.7 million consumers. BBC Weather, Sky Sport and Gmail were also found to have a greater reach on mobile internet than PC-based internet.

Ferguson added: "This highlights the advantage of mobile when it comes to immediacy; people often need fast, instant access to weather or sports news and mobile can obviously satisfy this, wherever they are. Mobile internet is mainly about functionality and need at the moment, as opposed to the more entertainment and ecommerce focused makeup of the leading PC-based sites."

This article was first published on Marketing Direct