Mobile internet is starting to be seen as a necessity rather than a luxury, according to a recent survey by Nielsen Company on behalf of Tellabs. 71% of US consumers plan to make daily use of a mobile data service.
Among current users of mobile broadband, 48% planned to increase their usage of mobile data services, such as mobile email, in the next year, and 58% planned to increase use over the next two years. Of those consumers surveyed who did not currently use any sort of mobile broadband service, 29% planned to start using one during the next year.
The Nielsen survey concluded with an estimate that half of the approximately 200 million mobile data users in Europe and the US will increase their use of mobile internet services in the next two years.
Jeff Herrmann, vice president of mobile media for Nielsen, said: "The mobile platform is becoming more and more a part of people's lives. The primary use of these services is communication and convenience."
Explaining the growth in demand for mobile internet services, Herrmann added: "A big driver of the mobile media is social networking. You get hooked. Once you start using it, you can't move away from it."
