Over 1.4 billion mobile users will frequently connect to the mobile Internet by 2015, up from 423.65 million by the end of 2010, according to research from mobileSQUARED.
From the end of 2009 to the end of 2015, the number of mobile Internet users will increase by 233%, making mobile the primary Internet access channel for brands and businesses to communicate with customers.
The continued growth of mobile powerhouses China and India will contribute over 1 billion mobile Internet users by 2015, while Japan – the world’s most advanced mobile Internet nation – will have a little over 100 million users.
The uptake of 3G will be the driving factor across the rest of Asia.
“China alone will contribute 58% of all mobile Internet users across Asia by 2015, with over 800 million users, while India will have a little over 260 million,” said mobileSQUARED chief analyst Nick Lane. “These figures are astronomical compared to other markets around the world such as the UK where 38 million mobile Internet users are expected by 2015. However, when placed in context with the mobile growth both India and China are experiencing, the mobile Internet growth is in alignment with other developing nations.”
After Asia’s “big three”, the next tier in terms of scale will come from Indonesia, the Philippines and South Korea, contributing a combined 121.77 mobile Internet users by 2015.
“Almost one-quarter of the global population will be using their mobile devices to access the Internet, and those users are in Asia," adds Lane. “By 2015, mobile usage will tower over PC usage across the continent and that means brands and companies must ensure they have a strong presence on mobile. If they do not have a mobile strategy in place, now is the time to change that.”
