Mobile web users 'a privileged minority'

Mobile web users are young, well-paid and well-educated

Fewer than three million people in the UK use the internet on the move, new research reveals.

Point Topic's most recent data suggests that just six per cent of the general adult UK population had used the internet on the move in the past month.

The poll of 2,000 people from across the UK found that nine per cent of respondents said that they regularly use a fixed internet connection.

"The typical mobile internet user who emerges from this research is a member of a privileged minority," said Tim Johnson, chief analyst at Point Topic.

"These are people who have everything. On the whole they are young, well-paid, well-educated and they own a much wider range of consumer goods than average, particularly digital devices of all kinds."

Johnson added that there is some encouragement for the future as the results show that the prospect for growing the number of mobile web users is bright.

"Of the 28.7 million people who already use the internet, but not on the move, some 62 per cent, or 17.8 million, say they could be interested in one or more mobile applications," he said.

"This offers the opportunity for rapid growth over the next few years."