Mobile internet uptake slow

Nearly three quarters of users still don't access the internet from their mobile, a new survey has found.

The study, commissioned by web hosting provider Hostway, questioned 1,484 consumers in Great Britain.

It found that of those who do use the internet on the go, 38 per cent are annoyed that pages load too slowly, while over a quarter think sites are too hard to navigate on small screens.

Nine out of 10, however, agreed that they would use mobile internet services if sites displayed correctly and accessing them didn't incur a high cost.

"This research highlights a real problem with 'mobile internet' as it stands right now. Although many people have internet-ready phones or PDAs that can access the internet, they are not inclined to do so because of the problems with displaying or navigating the content," said Neil Barton, director, Hostway.

Email was the most frequently requested service, with over 70 per cent wanting to access their mail from their handset. Just under half would like to be able to view maps, while 47 per cent are interested in keeping up with news and sport. Consumers were also interested in finding out cinema times and bar and restaurant information while out and about.

"At the moment, most websites just aren't flexible enough to be accessed on mobile phones," said Barton.

"There's nothing wrong with having a flash website with all the bells and whistles you can muster, but you've got to be aware that mobile users simply aren't going to be able to access it.

"The research illustrates that even if people do wait for sites to load, quite often it's impossible to get at the content itself because of the way sites are built."

The study shows the need for agreed standards such as the new .mobi domains names for sites designed for mobile access, commented Barton.

"Any kind of regulation or technology that encourages companies to develop mobile-friendly websites, and guarantees a better mobile experience is certainly a good thing," Barton added.