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Handsets, networks and tariffs to push mobile web over the tipping point

Improved network coverage, wider handset availability and new pricing models are about to ignite rapid adoption of mobile Internet services in Europe, according to technology analyst Forrester Research.

In a new Forrester report published this week, the number of people in Western Europe accessing Internet services using their mobile phone is predicted to reach 125 million by 2013, three times today’s figure. In some countries, including the UK, adoption will be even faster.

That will be driven by improved handset technology as devices with 3G and 3.5G technology installed become more popular and have better network coverage. In the UK, Italy, Austria and the Nordics, over 60% of people are expected to own a 3G or 3.5G handset by 2011.

Flat data tariffs, where users pay a set fee for access to the Internet rather than paying for each download, are also expected to enliven the mobile web which to date has not been adopted as quickly as some expected.

"The mobile net is finally reaching a tipping point and is on the verge of entering the mass market," said the report’s author Pete Nuthall.

Further reading

A grand 3G theory Technology desperately seeking a killer app.

The talking web Can speech recognition technology allow the ‘mobile web’ to take off at last?

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