Q&A: Mobile Internet

What is the Mobile Internet?

How many mobile Internet users are there worldwide?

What are the most popular uses of mobile Internet services?

What are the standards used to deliver the Internet to mobile devices?

What type of devices will be able to use WAP?

How may mobile applications become drivers for new 3G networks?

Why are cellular phones ideal tools for social networking and online communities?

What is the Mobile Internet?

The Mobile Internet is the ability to surf the Internet or World Wide Web using one's mobile handset. Mobile e-mail is one of the primary uses of mobile Internet services.

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How many mobile Internet users are there worldwide?

In August 2006, more than 34.6 million people were already using their mobile devices to browse the Internet (Telephia). An April 2007 report by market research firm iCrossing found that 30% of mobile owners access the Web from their handsets, with 50% of them doing so several times a week.

With the increase in network capacity and speeds, this number is growing rapidly. Firstly, there are more users expected to use the mobile Internet for entertainment purposes than in the past. Additionally, as mobile devices worldwide outnumber televisions and PCs combined, the mobile Internet market is poised to take off, especially in emerging markets where access to fixed-line services may not be readily available.

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What are the most popular uses of mobile Internet services?

Mobile e-mail, weather, sports, and maps are popular mobile Web categories. An August 2006 press release from Telephia states that of more than 34.6 million mobile subscribers who accessed the Internet via their wireless devices in June 2006, e-mail and weather sites were the top two most visited mobile Internet categories. The sports category followed, with more than 7.1 million visitors. Additionally, more than six million mobile consumers accessed City Guides/Maps sites in June 2006.

However, iCrossing's 2007 report states that "Mobile is a search medium. 75% of those who access the mobile Internet conduct searches on their mobile devices." In Telephia's report, the Search category secured 6.5 million visitors.

Accessing the Internet via mobile is currently generally regarded as useful for necessary, immediate information, and less so for entertainment purposes, though this is predicted to change as phone capabilities increase, latency times decrease, and web content providers begin targeting a mobile audience.

Siemens surveyed over 5,300 mobile communication subscribers in eight countries about innovative wireless applications and their expectations with respect to the content and functionality of mobile applications (End-User Requirements & Expectations, presentation, Siemens Network Evolution Forum, 3GSM World Congress 2006, Barcelona). A few trends are clear: mobile television and e-mail access on a mobile handset number among the most popular applications.

The survey on "innovative wireless services" was conducted in Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Korea, Russia and the United States. It was found that consumers across all countries and continents are keenly interested in mobile e-mail access -- on average, 74 percent of the surveyed wireless users want to be able to send, receive and edit e-mails on their wireless devices. Users in North America and Europe, in particular, have high expectations with respect to mobile e-mail access. Although the focus is on using this technology in connection with their work, many wireless subscribers would also consider personal usage.

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What are the standards used to deliver the Internet to mobile devices?

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is an open universal standard whose primary purpose is to enable mobile users to access the Internet on a wireless device. It can be used on any mobile operating system.

WAP uses a browser similar to a web browser for a computer, but is simplified for use on the relatively small screen of a mobile device. With the majority of devices supporting xHTML-MP, the mobile Internet browsing experience is more like what consumers are familiar with on personal computers.

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What type of devices will be able to use WAP?

Many digital devices are able to utilize this standard, including mobile phones, smartphones, PDAs and pagers.

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How may mobile applications become drivers for new 3G networks?

It is predicted that mobile Web connectivity and services would grow from $1 billion to $15.3 billion from 2005 to 2010 (Pelorus Group, 2005). Social networking websites such as MySpace.com, Facebook.com, and others like Flickr for photo-sharing or Rabble which lets users create profiles so they can share photos, videos and blogs with other members of the Rabble group, could become key applications drivers for new 3G wireless networks.

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Why are cellular phones ideal tools for social networking and online communities?

Cell phones are ideal because not only are people rarely without their phones, but today’s handsets also come equipped with sophisticated features such as cameras, digital music and video players and recorders that can be used for documenting one's life. Mobile-handset makers are even embedding technology into some of their phones to make it easier for users to blog from a mobile. This makes the mobile phone a great tool for users to create their own content.

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