Mobile internet usage in Europe to surge over the next five years

A proliferation of suitable handsets and increased end user interest will lead to 38% of mobile phone users in Western Europe utilising mobile Internet services by 2013 according to a new five year forecast by Forrester Research.

In its report,  “European Mobile Forecast: 2008 To 2013”, the research firm predicts that 125 million Europeans will access the Web regularly from their mobile phone – triple the number that do so today. One of the key drivers will be the proliferation of 3.5G-enabled devices, which will overtake the number of GSM-only and GPRS phones by 2010. Forrester expects that by 2013 no less than a quarter of consumers will own a 3.5G-enabled phone.

“The mobile internet is finally reaching the tipping point,” asserted Forrester Research Analyst Pete Nuthall. “But deploying high-speed mobile networks and rolling out advanced handsets are not enough to spark demand - our data shows that less than half of 3G phone owners use the 3G capability on their phone. To drive the mobile Internet, operators will need to push flat-rate data plans, increase the number of relevant services and applications, and introduce new devices that provide a better user experience.”

Additionally, the Forrester report forecasts more than 60% of mobile phone users in Austria, Italy, the UK and the Nordics countries will have either a 3G or 3.5G handset by the end of 2010. These countries will also be the quickest to adopt 3.5G, reaching penetration rates of more than 25% by the end of 2013.