UK citizens flocking to the mobile web

Around a quarter of the UK population now owns a smartphone

UK citizens are spending more time than ever connected to the web, thanks in part to the growth of mobile internet browsing through smartphones, according to new figures from Ofcom.

The watchdog's latest Communications Market 2010 report found that smartphone ownership in the UK grew by a huge 81 per cent in the 12 months to May 2010, from 7.2 million to 12.8 million or around a quarter of the population.

This growth has led to a rise in the time people spend browsing the web on the go to 1.3 hours a month, and has caused a 240 per cent increase in data sent over mobile networks.

Another factor is a rise in 24-month mobile phone contracts to 63 per cent of all new contracts in the second quarter of 2010, compared to just three per cent in the same period in 2008.

Facebook remains the most visited site for mobile internet users, and 45 per cent of all mobile users accessed the site in December 2009.

Cesar Bachelet, a senior analyst at Analysys Mason, said that the growing capabilities of smartphones and features like touch screens have made it much easier for people to get online while out and about.

"Touch-screen phones encourage people to go online, as it's very simple to access sites like Facebook through a dedicated widget on the device," he explained.

"With more sites being mobile enabled there are more opportunities for people to get on to sites on the go without having to wait a long time for the pages to load."

Bachelet also said that app stores for smartphones are having a major impact as they encourage people to get the most out of their device.

However, the rise in mobile internet use has not had an adverse affect on fixed internet growth, with people now spending an average of 14 hours online per month compared with eight hours in 2008.

Browsing speeds have increased from 4.1Mbit/s to 5.2Mbit/s on average, according to Ofcom, but the regulator has said that advertised 'up to' speeds are vastly oversold, and are often more than double the real averages users receive.

Bachelet added that the growth in fixed-line internet users could slow down as the majority of UK households now have broadband connections.

"There is now a push to try and get late adopters online, or those in excluded areas, but this will take time," he said.

Texting continues to grow in popularity, the Ofcom report found. Mobile users sent over 100 billion texts last year, the equivalent of 1,700 for every person in the UK, up from 1,200 in 2008.