Orange customers are consuming more mobile multimedia content that ever before, according to the company's latest Digital Media Index.

Figures show an average of 166 million page impressions on popular mobile social networking sites each month, and mobile search increases of about 30 per cent. Local searches, such as those for nearby businesses, increased by 100 per cent.

Supporting this growth is a desire for better connectivity. Orange said that the number of 3G subscribers had increased by 86 per cent, and 'dongle' subscriptions by 2,000 per cent.

Orange's third Digital Media Index covered the period from November 2007 to January 2008.

"This latest report reflects a transition in mobile similar to the web; mobile is no longer simply a channel for brands to deliver packaged content in a manner of their choosing," said Paul Jevons, director of products, portals and services at Orange.

"Instead the mobile phone has become a truly interactive channel that fosters the formation of communities through social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo.

"It also delivers content that is personally tailored to the individual so that customers can access the services they want how and when they want them."