Mobile Internet fueled by desire to connect with peers - survey

The survey was conducted in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, amongst users of the 2000 mobile publisher sites that form BuzzCity's mobile advertising network. Last year, Naspers invested US$10 million in www.buzzcity.com.

How users access mobile Internet services

According to the survey, less than 6% use the mobile Internet when travelling or outdoors, contrary to the common belief that mobile Internet is a tool to be accessed “on the move” - indeed 70% of users surf the mobile Internet from home, while 11% browse while at work.

KF Lai, BuzzCity CEO, commented, “The mobile phone has become the medium of choice for ‘unwired' consumers who do not access the Internet via a PC, proving that consumption of the mobile Internet is not necessarily connected to mobility.”

Users tend to access the mobile Internet regularly and often, with 87% accessing the mobile Internet more than once daily and more than half accessing it over five times a day. Eighty-one per cent of users surf for more than 15 minutes at a time, and this tends to be in the evening, with 36% logging-on after their evening meal. Around 45% access the mobile Internet from a Nokia device.

Why users access mobile Internet services

Typically, users access the mobile Internet to communicate with friends through online tools, such as chat, blogs and discussion groups, with 60% citing this as their main activity. “As shown in previous research, mobile Internet users are still united by a desire to connect with each other. And instead of a computer, more and more of them they are choosing to do this via their mobile phone.” KF Lai.

Meanwhile, 16% use the mobile Internet for entertainment purposes and 10% use it to surf for information. Demand for m-commerce continues to rise, and users are increasingly looking towards their mobile phones as vehicles to access financial services (13% wish to make remittances, transfers and loans via mobile). Said Lai, “Mobile surfers clearly want to do more with their mobiles, particularly when it comes to transactional services”.

More than one-third of users (34%) would like to use their mobile to top up credit, and the same number again desire the ability to pay for bills (transport, bar or restaurant tabs, groceries, and parking tickets). One in five users also specifies items for use in online games as potential purchases.

Who uses the mobile Internet?

BuzzCity's typical mobile consumer is a 20-something male with an annual income that places him at the “bottom of the pyramid”. He may, however, be a socially mobile creature, with 30% of those surveyed in full-time education, and a further 22% freelancers or small-business owners.

Said Lai, “The increasing number of small business owners, often touted as a nation's economic backbone, is extremely encouraging. A stable and affordable mobile web may well prove a key element in promoting business relations amongst this group of users who are likely to rely on access to the mobile Internet to conduct business transactions once reliable services become available.”

Regardless of income bracket, users have enough disposable income to purchase electronic and virtual goods. Overall, users also express a keen interest in digital technology. One-quarter intend to buy a games console, and 18% expect to buy a home-entertainment system in the next 12 months.

Significantly, 13% expect to buy a smart phone, which may be indicative of the rising number of users looking to enhance their mobile surfing experience and even conduct business via the mobile Internet.

Opportunities for the future

This research conducted by BuzzCity provides a global snapshot of not only how consumers and business users alike are using mobile Internet services today, but also how they would like to use the mobile Internet in the future.

"Like in previous research conducted by BuzzCity, these results confirm that consumers' mobile internet habits display similar traits around the world. The majority of users are primarily seeking to communicate and share information with friends or business associates, reaffirming the use of the mobile phone as a social-networking tool, and providing unprecedented opportunities for publishers and advertisers wishing to reach new groups of users,” commented KF Lai.

“The mobile Internet also offers significant opportunities for merchants, especially small business owners who can both communicate with partners and potentially sell their services via the medium. Our survey shows that mobile payments are in high demand, but this is an area that retail banks and mobile operators still need to explore further,” he concluded.